Crabtree Fights Back

Crabtree Fights Back

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Michael Crabtree’s decision to go after Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib early in their Week 12 matchup drew a wide range of responses from fans and media covering the NFL. Most were of the opinion that Crabtree was selfish in his move, putting himself before the team and ignoring the potential consequences at the risk of saving his own reputation.

To which we say, good for him.

While so many people were wagging their fingers and taking Crabtree to task for the altercation, which resulted in both players being suspended (initially two games before it was reduced to one on appeal), there was also a good deal of support and understanding for what happened and why it went down the way it did.

Within the Raiders locker room the support for Crabtree was unanimous, though not for the simple reason that he works there and is a teammate. This went far beyond the boundaries of sport and stampeded straight into the world of respect.

As the two men were tangled up during the end of a play, Talib reached up and snapped the gold chain that dangled from around Crabtree’s neck. At that point, the altercation turned into an all-out scrum, with both men throwing punches, Crabtree losing his helmet, and players from both teams rushing onto the field into the growing melee.