"I didn't do anything illegal," Ward said. "After I hit him, I just kept running down the sideline. It's no different than somebody getting a sack and putting their hand up and being excited because they hit somebody. If they fine me, I don't now. I didn't get a flag on that one, either. The way things have been going, I might get another fine, I don't know. "I'm just going to continue playing. I'm not doing anything illegal. It was a clean hit on the guy. I wasn't taunting him. I just got excited and ran down our sideline. If that's a fine, you can fine everybody in this league after they make a great play." "The defense kept saying, 'We're going to hit you,'" Ward said. "Well, I know you guys are going to hit me. I'm not going to wait around until you hit me. I'd be stupid to wait around for one of those guys. I was just playing hard. He had a helmet on. It was a clean hit. I didn't get penalized for it. "I'm not going to change the way I play this game. The way I play this game, it brings an attitude to our team, it gets us going. I'm not going to change my style of play." "It was shoulder to shoulder," Ward said. "If I was a dirty player, I would have gone low on him. I easily could have taken out his leg. But my intentions weren't to hurt him. I just wanted to block him. I can't help that he broke his jaw when he hit the ground. I feel sorry that it was broken, but I don't feel sorry for what I did. "No one ever sent me an apology note when I was hurt. Two years ago against Cleveland, Sean Jones hurt my knee with what I thought was a bad hit. Last year, [San Francisco's] Patrick Willis hit me directly on my knee. No one felt sorry for me ... "I'm a 200-pound wide receiver. [Rivers] is a first-round linebacker out of USC. If I were him, I wouldn't want people talking about me being blocked like that. I'd be embarrassed about it." Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Maybe the NFL should nut the heck up and let people play the game. Alright Rivers broke his jaw that's too bad he'll get over it. He didn't do anything illegal so he shouldn't be fined. It's a contact sport so let there be contact. He loves to block and deplete people so let him do it. The way the fines are going this year, I'm guessing Sean Taylor if he was alive would be broke by now.
I hate it when players feel they have to apologize for doing their job stupendously. Rivers should have appologized for the glass chin, or atleast said something to the media to take the heat off 86. written appology... I feel no pity for Rivers, i'm sure he was aware of the risk of injury, before signing his contract to play in the NFL.It was a clean hit, garnished on a player whose position usually doles that kind of punishment out. Rivers got schooled, and now he faces the rest of the season contemplating on how to mount side mirrors on his helmet. the fact that his jaw got broken, should tell him to mount the mirrors a little higher up. Go Steelers!
