MLS DisCo: No Suspension for Jermaine Jones

Big Apple Soccer is reporting that after only half a day of review, Jermaine Jones, of the New England Revolution, will not be getting any additional suspension for his actions on Sunday against the New York Red Bulls. This is confirmed based on the fact that the MLS Disciplinary Committee did announce an additional suspension for Vancouver Whitecap Sebastian Fernandez. The news isn't really a shock, although Red Bull fans (myself included) are not happy about the decision. Jones went in with scissor tackles on both Eric Alexander and Dax McCarty, both of who are lucky to have not suffered an injury at the time.

Tackle #1: Jermaine Jones on Eric Alexander

Tackle #2: Jermaine Jones on Dax McCarty

Of the two, the one on Eric Alexander actually looks worse given how Jones whips his right leg into the back of Alexander. That tackle was called as a foul but referee Allen Chapman let Jones off with a warning. Both are textbook red card though. In the second tackle, it's clear as day that Jones lunges at McCarty and both feet come off the ground. There may not be an intent to injure, but that is not something that has to be considered. That was the case last year when Jamison Olave was shown a straight red in Leg 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Houston Dynamo. In that challenge, Olave went in from the side, as opposed to the back like Jones in the McCarty challenge, and didn't actually follow through with the back leg. Yet he was still given a red because it was not a good challenge.

The fact that the MLS Disciplinary Committee is letting this go is really troubling. If a similar situation happens again at some point, will that player get the same treatment that Jones did, or is this a case of MLS protecting a star player? For now though, the Red Bulls will have to play on knowing that Jones is on the field, while they are missing their leading goal scorer, Bradley Wright-Phillips, after getting a dubious yellow of his own.