As much as I hate to do this again, I have to send another letter off to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Keep your fingers crossed this will be the last time this season.

Dear Raj,

I have to admit my disappointment at your most recent letter to me. You're fining me for yelling at my television set during NFL games?

Aside from the privacy issues, I take exception that a person can't scream while watching NFL games in their own home.

I know you've been cracking down on overly rough play, not just dirty or dangerous hits, but borderline hits.

Hines Ward is still wondering why he's been fined twice in a two-game span. I know $15,000 isn't much to these guys, but when your own officiating crew can't throw a flag on it, then reviewing film you take it upon yourself to be judge and jury — although as the commish, I guess you are — and hand out fines, something seems amiss.

Maybe not you, but one of your henchmen. Ward has a history of hard hits, but a receiver has as much right to deliver a hard shot as any defensive player.

In one instance, I think you might have assumed he was taunting a player, but you realize that's Hines Ward with the smile on his face. He's the one who enjoys playing this game. Your game.

He, as much as anyone else in the NFL, is the face of the league, the type of player you should be promoting.

If a play looks dirty or malicious, by all means, fine a player for his indiscretion. The league — as well as the owners — have invested tens of millions of dollars in these players. The last thing it needs is seeing any player — not just its stars — miss games or the season.

New England is just not as attractive without Tom Brady or Pittsburgh without Willie Parker.

If you really want to crack down on boorish behavior, look deeper into Baltimore's Terrell Suggs' boast that a bounty was put on Steelers rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall.

Mendenhall was slated to make his first start against the Ravens as Parker was injured. Mendenhall jokingly sent friend Ray Rice, a rookie running back with the Ravens, a text message saying he was going to run wild.

Maybe the Ravens didn't take too kindly to that. A hit by Ray Lewis broke Mendenhall's shoulder and he was lost for the season.

Lewis commented that Mendenhall wasn't down, but he was done. It was a clean hit by Lewis, but to have players in the league talking of injuring players? We're still waiting for a fine on that, but what's the hold up? The league supposedly was looking into it last week, but nothing has come of it.

You can't condemn clean hits that may hurt someone, but stand silent when others dirty your game by talking of purposely injuring players.

I'm sure all of this will play out on a Greatest Hits of 2008 video, which will be available fat the end of the season. You can put clean hits on videos where no one gets seriously hurt, but still fine someone because of it. This way, you can collect twice and continue the NFL's profitable ways.

To recap: clean, hard hits — good, dirty hits — bad.

It's that simple.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.