Cleveland Browns: Ravens say Marlon Humphrey did not choke OBJ

One of the biggest stories following the Browns victory over the Ravens is if Marlon Humphrey choked Odell Beckham Jr. But the Ravens are denying any such action.

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cleveland Browns, 45-20, but they did not choke, or at least Marlon Humphrey did not choke Odell Beckham Jr., according to the Ravens’ website.

Oddly, another article on the same Ravens website quotes Humphrey as apologizing to OBJ: “I ran into him after the game and apologized. That’s not really the brand of football I want to represent. [After] the whistle blows, it’s got to be over with.”

Now, let us be clear. No one was choked to unconsciousness during the game, and neither of the combatants was injured so severely that they will miss a game. OBJ suggests that the worst part of the skirmish was losing an earring.

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The Ravens website claims that Humphrey definitely did not choke OBJ. Other unbiased observers disagree, including Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times offers the

"“As seen in the video posted with the article, Humphrey’s right hand was in a fist and appeared to be applying pressure to Beckham’s chin and not wrapped around his neck. But when Humphrey moves that hand, a pretty clear view is offered of his left hand, which very well could be grasping the receiver’s throat. At the very least, the video does not provide the clear-cut evidence the Ravens promised in their tweet, headline and article.” – Schilken via the L.A. Times"

The Ravens website also claims to know that OBJ stated the fight and that Humphrey was the clear winner. How the fight should be scored? 40-25, by this analyst.

Johnny Unitas gave a similar answer after his team lost he Super Bowl to Joe Namath and the Jets, after a reporter asked him “How good is Namath?” The great Johnny U answered simply “16-7.” The point is that in football, the only way that success is judged is by the final score. If the Ravens want to give themselves style points for extracurricular fights, that is fine. The Dawg Pound is happy with 40-25.

This is not the first time that tempers have flared and things got out of control. Wide receivers and defensive backs are always trying to goad each other into committing unsportsmanlike conduct and other penalties. On the field, the players and officials handled it and returned the game to normalcy with minimal disruption. What is more troubling is that an NFL official team website would try to justify that behavior and even glorify it as a “win” for the combatant.

Maybe Humphrey was simply reciting poetry to OBJ, but it looked like choking to virtually everyone except the Baltimore Ravens. If the NFL says that is the proper way to play football, that sets a lousy example for players in Pop Warner and up. Similarly, whatever role OBJ played in escalating the tension should not be condoned. Trying to determine who started it is a fool’s errand, but OBJ was seen on film throwing punches, which is also illegal.

Freddie Kitchens’ suggestion is that the league has to try to have clear guidelines for what rises to the level of ejecting a player from the game or other disciplinary action. What is the normal penalty for apparent choking? What about throwing punches? Are other players thrown out of the game for similar behavior, or not? If other players are penalized but not ejected for such behavior, then the officials probably were correct in their call. Just be consistent.

Next. Has Christian Kirksey played his last snap as a Brown?. dark

As long as neither player was seriously hurt, this analyst is not terribly upset with Humphrey, who after all recognized that he had crossed the line and offered an apology. Someday after both players are retired, they might be even be able to laugh about it. Permanent damage did not occur. The ugly part is really the team reaction, arguing that the incident never happened. Humphrey may or may not have choked. The Ravens website, however, choked.

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