CLEVELAND, Ohio – The big man is tired of swallowed pipes and claw marks. He's tired of the pushing and grabbing that supposedly breaks the rules. And he's tired of different rules applying to him because he's bigger and stronger than other players.
Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett scolded the NFL referees on Sunday for what he perceived as a “travesty” in Cleveland’s 31-27 victory over Jacksonville. When Garrett played blocker for the Jaguars, he said the officials removed holding and illegal use of hands in the face from the rule book. He says they allowed the defenders to scratch Garrett's shoulder like a wild cat. And he says this violation of the rules has been allowed to go unchecked for too long.
“It built up (over the course of this season),” Garrett said. I don't want to say… the officers have something against me, but shoot, close enough. This Hack-a-Shaq crap needs to stop.”
“…It's ridiculous. You can't just let a guy stick his fingers in your face mask and push your head up or grab you by the back of your collar, otherwise he'll be in the wrong position and grab you from the front. All “We see that, but we're trying to encourage offensive play. It needs to be called fair both ways. I don't care about any of that. Attack, defense – it needs to be held to the same standard in more ways than one.”
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What Garrett describes as mistreatment is more like a misunderstanding. Garrett is so dominant that opponents can't block him without breaking the rules. And referees are so used to watching his jersey get ripped that they no longer recognize it as a foul. But contrary to the edge rusher's belief. The referees aren't targeting Garrett when they allow other players to ambush him on the sidelines. Instead, they acknowledge his greatness in a strange, frustrating way.
His problem is called “The Big Man's Plague,” and Garrett isn't the first star of greatness to suffer from it. In fact, the best person to decode Garrett's “hack-a-Shaq crap” criticism might be the great Aristotle himself.
In 2001, Shaquille O'Neal was playing for the Lakers and felt like he was playing against the referees. He told Sports Illustrated that referees “cheat” by failing to call fouls on his defenders. And, like Garrett, he had grown tired of a subjective set of rules.
“I believe that everything that is written should be enforced,” O’Neal told SI. “Don't come to training camp and tell me a defender can only use one hand, a defender can use a forearm to 'protect and hold position,' and then someone uses both, and you don't call it that .” Don't tell me a defender can't knee me in the ass and then when someone does, don't let them. Whistle it exactly as the rule is written.”
The problem for O'Neal and Garrett is that the rules were written for mortals only. Basketball lawmakers never took into account that a 300-pound center could win the position while using only 20 percent of his strength, as Shaq claimed. And no NFL training tape can teach officials how to interpret the movements of a 6-foot-1 edge rusher who bends like a gymnast like Garrett does every week.
Garrett and O'Neal should feel highlighted because they are unique players. They should be frustrated because they shouldn't be punished for playing well. And referees should adjust their mindset when it comes to officiating dominant players.
Myles “Flash” Garrett and Shaquille “Diesel” O’Neal deserve the same right to flags and free throws as any player without a cool nickname. And referees deserve the same scrutiny for their mishaps as any player who drops a pass. As Garrett said on Sunday, “…it's a tough job, but damn, we have a tough job too. You can’t make it harder by throwing by the rules, holding and keeping your hands on the face.”
You also can't stop Garrett without holding him, and you can't raise a flag on every play. Garrett might have found it personal when Jacksonville officials ignored helmet grabs, eye pokes and jersey claws on Sunday. But they might have thought it practical.
That's not fair, but it's also not fair to directly protect Shaq. So the defenders did what they could to have a chance and the referees allowed what they could while maintaining control of the game. Players like O'Neal and Garrett lost ground as a result, but no rule change could offset the advantage they already had.
This is the plight of the great man. Only the best players need to be cheated to slow down. Therefore, only the best players have to complain about it.
At this level, only a smaller part learns to manipulate the altered reality to their advantage. But as the referees noted Sunday, Garrett is a special case who plays by special rules. He's fed up with it at the moment. But if he can learn to deal with it, opposing tackles will think twice before playing dirty. And the referees don't have to fuss.
Just ask the player Garrett's Hack-A complaints are named after.
“I'll tell you one thing,” O'Neal told SI, “it gets scary when I start running over people because I have a lot of frustration to let go of.” I don't have a hit list or anything like that, but when I go against some people , I don't want mouths to run. Oh, why did Shaq do that? You will know why. I’ve been getting beat up for nine years and maybe it’s time for some beating.”