The NFL Network has suspended Brian Baldinger "for six months without pay after the analyst suggested" in a radio interview that the Eagles should "place a bounty" on Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott in last Sunday night's game, according to Matt Lombardo of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. Baldinger yesterday reacted to the suspension, saying, "The punishment doesn't fit the crime" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 11/3). SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy noted the suspension is "believed to be the longest in the 13-year history of the NFL Network." Criticism of Baldinger "continued to grow given the severe punishment handed down to the Saints by Commissioner Roger Goodell over 'Bountygate'" in '12. McCarthy: "Not to mention the league's emphasis on the threat to players from concussions and CTE" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 11/2). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith wrote this is a "longer suspension than media companies typically hand out to commentators who get themselves in hot water, and a strong indication that the league was embarrassed to have one of its own employees advocate for intentionally injuring a player" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 11/2). In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe notes Baldinger's comments were "widely criticized by multiple media outlets and former players." Baldinger has been an analyst for the NFL Net for six years and is a "regular contributor" on Philadelphia-based WPEN-FM (PHILLY.com, 11/2).
