On Brian Mullan

The “he should be suspended as long as the injured player is out” isn’t something Sounders fans made up. It’s something that comes up every time a player gets his leg broken by a reckless challenge the world over. Not that it’s a realistic punishment, but you have to admit, there is a sort of poetic justice to it. Why should the guilty party suffer less than the victim?

As for Twellman, it makes sense to me that players would want to remain anonymous. Directly criticizing fellow players is considered unprofessional. That makes more sense than your idea that Twellman, who is universally known as a class act, would make up a story to defame Mullan. What reason would he have for doing that?

Mullan might not have been known as a dirty player before, but he is now. People commit murders for the first time. People get DUI’s for the first time. People get arrested for the first time. In all of those situations, no matter whether they were considered that type of person before then, from that point on they always will be.

This situation is no different. If this was a minor foul, he would not be known as a dirty player, but simply someone who caused harm by accident. As bad as this incident was, (and I believe he did it on PURPOSE and MEANT to HURT Zakuani) he will forever be known as a dirty player and I hope he gets banned from the MLS for life.

After the no-call, you could see him throw his hands up in anger, look over and jet right towards Zakuani and slide feet first at his legs. He might have got the ball first, but whether the ball was in his way or not, I believe he would have done it anyways..

If the max ban of 10 games is made and he is allowed to play after that, then I feel that if this ends up being a career ender for Zak, then Mullan should definitely be banned for life.

Your analysis is thoughtful, and I agree completely. No one can have such a long career if they’re known for playing dirty. It would be too disruptive to their team and they wouldn’t last long. Coaches wouldn’t want them. Sadly, unfortunate things happen, in soccer, in life. No one is a winner here. Other guys with season ending injuries will certainly agree. How about Ugo Ihemulu trying to force Mac Kandji to stand up – despite torn ACL – after he scored in the Cup game. Where was the outrage over that? Where was the apology, fine, suspension? Nowhere. A call for the original foul would have gone a long way towards defusing Friday’s situation. MLS refs = lame-oh.

How dirty, clean, articulate or contrite Mullan is probably doesn’t matter much outside of Denver. Seattle doesn’t know or really care about Mullan’s rep. Outrage expressed over parsing various statements is simply outrage expressed, hung upon the nearest hook. Mullan’s infamy will be short-lived except in Seattle.

There doesn’t seem to be much point in calling for a ban tied to the injured player: I don’t know if that’s ever happened, it just seems unworkable, and it would be just wierd for players to think a tackle might end 2 careers instead of just one, as they go in for the slide.

A one-season ban makes a lot more sense to me. The message Mullan’s tackle sends every home and international player is that MLS is a dangerous place to try and launch, extend or repair a career. We need a long ban for MLS to have any effective reply to that message.

A 10-game suspension wouldn’t even keep Mullan off the field July 16 at Qwest: that date is 15 games away. At that date we will not even know yet if or when we’ll get back Zakuani – our only #1-overall pick, our goal-scoring leader, a fan favorite. It would drive us nuts for you to field the guy who took him away from us.

I think you hit the nail on the head in terms of what should and probably will happen. Nice to see Rapids fan support some pretty harsh penalties. We need this for the league to get better so it’s important for all of us.

The main issue for his reputation are his own words. If he really has made that tackle a hundred times and plans to make them in the future then there can be no doubt he’s a dirty player. Going in with two feet over the ball and into your slide at the last possible moment to ensure as much force behind the tackle, has no place in the game.

I can accept that he didn’t mean to break Zakuani’s leg, but I can’t accept that it was simply a freak accident. He went in for revenge and the result is a rising star’s career potentially being ruined.

Anyway, I also wanted to say I agree people need to tone it down from Seattle and I’ve already seen a little self-policing. Some passion is understandable, but for crying out loud this is Seattle, not New York. The worst thing that happens to Mullan here is a barista purposefully using soy instead of skim in his latte. Enough for the cyber tough guy garbage. :)

Let me start by saying that I think that asking Mullan not to play until Zakuani is able to do so is ludicrous. Don’t get me wrong, I like most of my fellow Sounder fans, am very passionate both about my club- and the sport itself. On Friday, after hearing the leg bones of one of my boys snap, I was ANGRY, and Mullan’s post match statements only served to make me more so. It was a very insensitive remark, and the fact that Gary Smith repeatedly said “the individual” instead of “Steve” or “Zakuani” made his statements come off quite insincere as well.

This entire situation is a horrible tragedy, for both players, and both clubs. Zakuani is a promising young player that has a potentially career ending injury. The Sounders have to finish the season without him. Mullan has a long history of being a rough, but not vicious player. However, because of one ill-advised move he will be called a dirty player for the rest of his career.

I don’t think that anyone will argue that this happened because Mullan was throwing a temper tantrum. I hope that he did not mean to hurt Zakuani, but I ask what he thought was going to happen when he went in with that much speed with studs up… I think it was a revenge based challenge. This type of behavior should not have any place in the MLS.

As for punishments: I would like to see a stringent fine, and a several game ban. I would also like to see a SINCERE apology- not just out of courtesy, but for atmosphere in the stadium when the Rapids come out here in July (and no I am not making threats). I am looking forward to seeing how the MLS handles the situation because it will make precedence for the future.

I also agree with Derek Young in that we, Seattle fans, need to stop acting so tough. The worst I see happening is the ECS writing a song about how much they hate Mullan.

I think it would be smart to compare the Mullan tackle to the Ryan Shawcross tackle against Aaron Ramsey in the EPL last season. It was the same injury (tibia/fibula) and a spikes up challenge. Shawcross was suspended for three games no more. However, there were some significant differences that make Mullan’s tackle worse.

First of all, the fact that it was obviously a retaliation for the non-call makes it seem malicious. To me, malice makes a HUGE difference. It’s the difference between murder and manslaughter. So, I’d say that warrants AT LEAST an additional 5 games. So now we’re up to 8.

Second, on the Shawcross tackle, the ball was a loose ball that Shawcross himself had just overtouched, it was essentially a 50/50 ball that he had a good chance of getting to. He was coming straight on at Ramsey. This cannot be said of the Mullan tackle. Zakuani had full possession, it was not a loose ball, and Mullan came from the side. Add 3 games. Now we’re up to 11.

Third, Mullan’s reaction was abhorrent and unapologetic. Shawcross was literally crying after the tackle and expressed his remorse publicly and sincerely. Add another 2 games. 13 games.

So, according to this basis, the suspension should be 13 games. I think using the Shawcross precedent would be wise because it will make the decision non-arbitrary and based on several clear factors that can be used moving forward. Lastly, it really doesn’t matter whether Mullan is a “dirty player.” What matters is that that was a dirty play.