Headhunters could face suspensions

Aiming for the head or leading with the helmet to deliver a blow could soon cost NFL players game time as well as money.

The league is considering suspending players for illegal hits in an effort to help prevent serious injuries, NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson told the Associated Press yesterday, 1 day after several scary collisions in games.

"There's strong testimonial for looking readily at evaluating discipline, especially in the areas of egregious and elevated dangerous hits," he said in a phone interview. "Going forward there are certain hits that occurred that will be more susceptible to suspension. There are some that could bring suspensions for what are flagrant and egregious situations."

Anderson, a member of the league's competition committee and one of its loudest voices on the need for enhanced player safety, said the NFL could make changes in its approach immediately, with commissioner Roger Goodell having the final say. League officials would consult with the players union, but he didn't expect any opposition.

"Obviously suspensions would be a much bigger deal than fining guys," said Colts center Jeff Saturday, the team's player representative. "But if guys are headhunting out there to knock a guy out of the game, that's the only way to take care of it."

On Sunday, the Eagles' DeSean Jackson and the Falcons' Dunta Robinson were knocked out of their game after a frightening collision in which Robinson launched himself headfirst. Both sustained concussions.

Steelers linebacker James Harrison sidelined two Browns players with head injuries after jarring hits. An NFL spokesman said one of the tackles, on Joshua Cribbs, was legal. The Browns were more upset about Harrison's hit on Mohamed Massaquoi, which the league is reviewing.

"I don't want to injure anybody," Harrison said following Pittsburgh's 28-10 victory. "There's a big difference between being hurt and being injured. You get hurt, you shake it off and come back the next series or the next game. I try to hurt people."

The league is worried not just about defenders turning themselves into human missiles, but also with aiming for the head with the forearm, shoulder or any other body part.

"The fundamentally old way of wrapping up and tackling seems to have faded away," Anderson said. "A lot of the increase is from hits to blow guys up. That has become a more popular way of doing it. Yes, we are concerned they are getting away from the fundamentals of tackling, and maybe it has been coached that way. We're going to have to look into talking to our coaches."

In related news:

* Lions linebacker Zack Follett has been cleared to return to Detroit after being hospitalized following a violent helmet-to-helmet hit with a New York Giants player on kickoff coverage. Coach Jim Schwartz said the injury was not concussion-related.

* Washington tight end Chris Cooley said he kept playing after suffering a concussion in the loss to Indianapolis before finally removing himself from the game. Cooley said he was hurt in the second quarter of Sunday's 27-24 defeat. He said the hit was a "little bit of a bell-ringer" but not forceful enough to knock him out. Fellow tight end Fred Davis said Cooley was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Cooley said he passed "all the doctors' tests and stuff" and returned to the game in the second half, catching two passes in the third quarter before a headache and other symptoms forced him out.

* The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to provide financial assistance to former players who have Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord, also called ALS, is being added to the "88 Plan," which was started in 2006 to help ex-players diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. In August, scientists funded in part by the NFL said they found evidence connecting head injuries in athletes to a condition that mimics Lou Gehrig's disease. The plan provides up to $88,000 a year for institutional care and up to $50,000 for home custodial care, plus costs for certain doctor care, medical equipment and medication.

* Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre is scheduled to meet today with a member of the NFL's security team looking into allegations that he sent lewd photos and voicemails to a female employee of the New York Jets.

* Carolina coach John Fox benched struggling rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen and reinstated Matt Moore as the starting QB coming off the bye week.

* Former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Arlington "Ali" Highsmith is facing a drug charge after Baton Rouge, La., police said they found 2 pounds of marijuana in his refrigerator. Police said he was booked into jail on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana following his arrest Friday, and has been released.