Should Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams face discipline for MNF outburst?

The NFL is reportedly mulling a decision if they should take action against Adams.
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com /
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Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams seems like an overly positive person normally. He might not have head coach Pete Carroll's level of everything-will-be-all-right, but Adams isn't far off. This is why his screaming at a doctor on the sidelines on Monday Night Football in Week 4 was all the more shocking.

Adams had returned to play in Week 4 after more than a year's layoff due to a leg injury he suffered in Week 1 of 2022. The safety has been injury often since he was traded to the Seahawks in 2020, of course, and he is as frustrated with his missing games as 12s are. Adams wants to play.

On the New York Giants first drive of the game - the ninth play overall - New York quarterback Daniel Jones scrambled out of the pocket and into the open field. Adams saw this, closed in on Jones, Adams then awkwardly dove at Jones and Jones' knee hit Adams in the helmet which caused Adams to be concussed. Adams was clearly woozy when he got up and he went to the sidelines and into the medical tent.

Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams could be disciplined for his actions on Monday Night Football

He was then ruled out for the game - rightfully so - due to the concussion and he was then seen outside the medical tent amidst Seahawks staffers screaming at the presumed neurotrauma consultant who declared him out. After the game, Pete Carroll said, "By the time they got all the assessments done, he couldn't play. Somebody said something that wasn't with us. It was somebody else that he might have responded to. I'm not sure about that."

Basically, what was unclear was who said what to Adams and exactly what got him so upset. Possibly he was just concussed and unaware of how he is behaving. But as Adams left the field, he also got into a short argument with a heckling fan.

Now the NFL is reportedly deciding whether to discipline Adams over either yelling at the doctor on the sidelines, getting into a brief war of words with a fan, or both. Maybe this would just amount to a fine. Or possibly the NFL wants to make an example of Adams for yelling at a doctor who was just looking out for Adams' health and such doctors are mandated by league rules (as they should be) and the league will suspend Adams for a game.

But should Adams be suspended? I don't think so for one main reason, and that's beside the fact that he took to social media to apologize for his actions. The truth is that Jamal Adams had just suffered a brain injury (a concussion, of course) and likely wasn't himself. Were his actions good? No, but he also probably wasn't in total control of his own actions.

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