NY Jets trainer Sal Alosi was suspended without pay for the rest of the 2010 season and fined $25,000 for tripping a Dolphins player on the sideline during a game Sunday.
Alosi was caught on video sticking out his left knee to trip Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll, who ran out of bounds while covering a punt in the third quarter of Miami’s 10-6 win.
Sal, blinking back fake tears, said on Monday, “I let everybody down yesterday with my actions. My actions were inexcusable and irresponsible.”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Alosi said. “If I could go back and do it again, I sure as heck would take a step back. It was just a situation where I wasn’t thinking.”
Carrol, who twice broke his right leg while playing in high school and college, said he wasn’t angry about the incident.
“We got a ‘W.’ That’s not my problem,” Carroll said. “That’s the Jets’ problem. We just move on. I felt contact, but I’ve got to watch film. I can’t comment on it right now.”
Many outraged fans of the sport believe Alosi should have been fired for his unsportsmanlike conduct. “What about fair play. What about sportsmanship and setting a good example? We know sometimes players go off the rails, but coaches?,” wrote a CBS news reporter.
While others were willing to cut him some slack, such as this comment left on CBS news website:
I think the punishment is fair. Alosi now has the suspension period to reflect on what he did, the poor example he set for his wife, children and the organization, and commit to being a better husband, father and sportsman.
The suspension will begin immediately. General manager Mike Tannenbaum said Alosi will also not be allowed to interact with any players or coaches “as it pertains to his job function.”
“It’s on me,” a contrite Alosi said.
