Should coaches be able to complain?

Last week Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was fined $25,000 for making comments about official Ed Hochuli's performance during his week 2 game. Jones said on his weekly radio show, "Maybe the answer is to tell people like that, keep that whistle out of your mouth. My gut here is the emphasis is going to have to be taking officials like that and getting somebody else if they're going to be penalty prone." Jones later achnowledged that he should have said what he did.



Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints was fined $15,000 for making similar comments about a referee earlier in the week.


Through out the course of any sports season involving referees or officials of any kind, there are always situations in which critisim is a possibility. Sometimes it is warranted and sometimes it isn't. In the NFL an individual can be punished by the league offices and commisioner Roger Godell for making such a comment in the form of a fine. It doesn't matter if the criticism is accurate or fraudulent, simply the presence of any negative comments about referees warants a fine.

My question is this, why shouldn't those people directly affected by the decisions of referees, like coaches, players and owners be allowed to voice their opinions. I understand the problems presented when they chose to do this through the media, but I don't understand why it should be so prohibited. Feel free to disagree...I'm sure I am probaly missing something here. But I just don't understand why warranted criticism shouldn't be allowed by the NFL.

Afterall entire franchises' success from week to week is dependent upon the decision of referees and officials in the NFL.