Were Sean Avery's Remarks Really Suspendable?

Am I the only one who doesn't think Sean Avery's comments were punishable via suspension? What's the big deal with using the term "sloppy seconds" anyway? Don't get me wrong, Sean Avery might be my least favorite hockey player in the league, and I love Dion Phaneuf's game on the ice. But didn't Gary Bettman overreact a bit? I mean, give the guy a break. The source of jealousy is Elisha Cuthbert, after all. Is Avery getting punished because of his reputation? More than likely. If he was going to get suspended indefinitely, though, don't you think he should have had to at least commit an infraction on the ice to be sidelined?

So what does the NHL want its players to do? Not talk to the media? I'm sorry but a lot of hockey players are characters and sometimes they'll provide some colorful comments. Can't we just allow these guys to be themselves, especially when the NHL can garner a smidgen of well-deserved attention from them?

I happened to catch PTI today on the four-letter network, and I must admit that it was really disappointing to hear Michael Wilbon cite race as an issue in these successor-in-waiting scenarios being popularized recently in college football. Come on Mike. Seriously? I agree that the lack of African-American head coaches in college football is a serious problem. But an equally big problem is the lack of African-American coaches on the assistant level, as well. So how can there be a realistic number of quality African-American candidates for head jobs when the numbers are scarce on the assistant level? Will Muschamp at Texas is qualified to succeed Mack Brown. Chip Kelly will be a quality successor to Mike Belotti at Oregon. Are these AD's implementing these successors-in-waiting to avoid interviewing minority candidates as Wilbon suggests? I highly doubt it. I am usually skeptical of all things NCAA, but this one's a stretch Mike.