Nick Collins’ Night Gets Even Worse
Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins didn’t have the best night of his career as his frustration on the field boiled over to the sidelines. In the first half, he left the game after suffering a knee sprain but was able to return. In the second half, he was flagged for a blatant unnecessary roughness penalty after he slammed Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte to the turf well after the whistle had blown. And to make matters worse, Collins finished his night in Chicago by allegedly going “crazy” on a Bears fan.
Fox 6 Sports in Milwaukee has video tape of the altercation between Collins and the fan, but due to league rules, the video cannot be posted on the internet (which means it will be on Youtube by the end of the day). Many of the details are still unknown about the interaction, but Collins told reporters after the game that he was provoked by a fan’s usage of a racial epithet.
Collins reportedly responded by throwing tape at the fan before being corralled into the locker room by teammate Donald Driver. Once in the locker room, Collins apologized by telling reporters he was sorry to “all fans.”
It sounds like Nick Collins lost his cool. After an ugly loss where the Packers committed 18 penalties, his frustration is understandable. Regardless of how asinine a fan may act, however, Collins cannot dignify that fan’s actions by responding – especially by throwing something at the fan. It’s an unfortunate reality for professional athletes, but their actions are constantly under a microscope, so any misstep is scrutinized, analyzed, and sensationalized to the point of delirium.
The incident will certainly be a story line for the media this week, and Collins can expect to be getting a letter detailing a fine and possible suspension from the league office as well.
Purple Pants, Green Jersey 
Well, if a racial epithet was fired at him, I think he has every right to throw as much shit as he wants to. Totally inappropriate.
But yeah, you’re probably right that he should just calm down and ignore it. Make the Bears and their stupid fans suck it next time around when the Packers show them that they are the better team by not beating themselves with retarded penalties like, oh say, personal fouls against Forte. 😉
i agree with phil. even falling short of a racial epithet, i give athletes free reign to go nuts on fans that encroach on their parameters (whether on the field, in the player parking lot, out in public, or wherever). it’s why i’m considering getting season tickets to the phillies, i loved the malace at the palace, and nick harper is my new hero.
having been to games in the nfc norris, someone dropping ignorance like that does not come as a surprise. i’ve almost got into it at viking’s games over language directed towards daunte and later t-jack. one of many reasons why i would rather sit at home and watch all the games then spend a paycheck going to an actual game.