Gary Bettman Has Gone Too Far With The Avery Suspension, But Still Can Go Farther

David Stern, Roger Goodell, Bud Selig, and Gary Bettman.

Now ask yourself, who does not belong? And the answer is Bettman.

See, Stern, Goodell, and even Selig all have the respect of the players and coaches in their respective leagues. In every interview that you see a coach go off on a referee you will always say "I don't care if they fine me". This is because they know that their respective commissioner is does not let things like that slide.

Bettman is a whole other story.

He runs a league that basically celebrates fighting. Now, I will be the first one to say that fighting in the NHL is probably the only reason why I would watch a telecast of a game. Fighting is basically the lifeblood that keeps the on the fence fan, on the fence.

The problem is that if you are not going to fine or suspend a player for fighting, then you really have no reason to penalize anyone for anything besides for an illegal hit such as the Marty McSorley and Donald Brashear.

So when Gary Bettman suspended Sean Avery for saying that other players are getting on his sloppy seconds, a known fact, he, being Bettman crossed the line.


I mean really is calling a guy out for taking your sloppy seconds really worse then bashing a guys face in until he is flat on the ice?

This whole Avery thing got us at The Skip Bayless Report thinking about what else the NHL and Bettman is going to start suspended players for. Here are the ten most probable new reasons why a player would get suspended.

1. Not growing a playoff beard even if you are not in the playoffs.
2. Wearing the wrong color skates (I don't know if thats possible but hey, the NFL does it).
3. Being exciting.
4. Being a role model.
5. Getting on the news.
6. Getting on SportsCenter top 10.
7. Getting any publicity at all for a league that doesn't really have any now.
8. Going out in public.
9. Having a personality.
10. Being Sean Avery.