i was just reading paul gardner's article in the may issue when i had an idea; punish the player with a suspension for violent and/or deliberate fouls that result in injury that coincides with the duration of the injury. in other words, if the referee judges a foul to have been deliberate or at the very least reckless, and a player limps off for three weeks or three months, what have you, the player committing the foul spends that much time out of action as well. obviously, these judgments would be subject to some appeal and career-ending injuries might necessitate a "statute of limitations," but otherwise i think there's some merit to this idea. at the very least players might have more interest in the health and welfare of their colleagues. just thought i'd throw that out there.
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violent fouls and injuries