Richard Seymour Punch Lands On Ben Roethlisberger

The Richard Seymour punch did little to help the Raiders yesterday. In fact, the Richard Seymour punch could hurt the Raiders more down the line if he faces additional punishment. The incident symbolized Oakland's
frustration, as they had a chance to prove their surprise 5-4 record was truly for real. Yet against an established Super Bowl contender in Pittsburgh, they were manhandled in a 35-3 loss. The frustration boiled over as early as the second quarter, as Seymour threw a punch at Ben Roethlisberger after a back-breaking touchdown.

The Steelers had gone up 14-3 by the late second quarter, but the game was still somewhat in range. Yet, after Roethlisberger threw another touchdown to put them up 21-3, the outcome seemed all but decided by then.

At that point, the punch was thrown, after he and Roethlisberger got into it following the touchdown. The Raiders' defensive end said that Roethlisberger "ran up on me" as he did appear to say something before getting punched.

Seymour was quickly ejected, leaving the Raiders even more shorthanded the rest of the way. Their 35-3 defeat brought harsh reality onto one of the NFL's most surprising starts. The talk of a Raiders revival was halted for a week, as they lost first place in the AFC West to the Chiefs.

The aftermath of Seymour's hit should bring a heavy fine, at the least. But the calls for his suspension have begun, particularly from the Steelers' James Harrison. All year, Harrison has been in trouble for hard hits, so therefore, he stated that the NFL should be much harder on someone who threw an actual punch.

In some circles, Seymour isn't getting laid into as hard because he punched Roethlisberger. The Steelers' quarterback is still unpopular for his off-field legal problems, so those who still hate him may have been pleased. In any case, no one knows yet what Roethlisberger said to set Seymour off, if anything.

It should be a day or two before punishment for the punch comes down from Roger Goodell. For the moment, the Raiders are still counting on him to play against Miami next week.
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At the least, his meltdown wasn't the only one from yesterday, after Vince Young acted out in Tennessee. However, Young didn't punch anyone on or off the field, and isn't expected
to play the rest of the year anyway.