Poll results: Was Hines Ward a dirty player?

Poll results: Was Hines Ward a dirty player?
March, 24, 2012
By Jamison Hensley


While Ed Reed and Chris Crocker would disagree, a majority of those participating in this week's SportsNation poll say Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward was not a dirty player.


In a poll that drew more than 11,000 votes, 62 percent say that Ward didn't cross the line as an aggressive and violent football player. Ward, who announced his retirement Tuesday, has drawn criticism over the years for his hits, and was named the NFL's dirtiest player in a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll.

Here are some comments from the blog and the mail bag regarding Ward's style of play:

Go to War Mrs. Agnes: Dirty Player? Depends on if you're a Steelers fan or not!

Tommy2Steel: After 14 years in the league and consistently delivering those bone-jarring hits, if he truly wanted to end someone's career, I would think the list would be long and distinguished -- but there is no list because it never happened. He was fearsome and he was not afraid to lay the wood to you, but he was not out to end anyone's career.

JustBeWarned: When so many players say you are a dirty player, the argument is over. He's a dirty player. Fans and writers have never been within 10 feet of Hines Ward. What's broadcasted on TV isn't enough for us to be able to judge for ourselves.

(Read More:) http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/44541/poll-results-was-hines-ward-a-dirty-player

The notion that Hines was a dirty player is bullshit on every level. "Dirty" implies stretching or going beyond the rules. Everything he did was well within the rules. And when they changed the rules, he adjusted his play and followed them accordingly. But I'm smart enough to know that whoever bitches about Hines and calls him a dirty player would own his jersey and be defending him if he was on their team.

Agreed Wallace!

If you look at great defensive players thoughout the NFL and its' history, there are quite a number of players that played like Hines. However, I think because he was a WR, he wasn't "supposed" to play the way he did. JMHO