PARENT WATCH : Fine Move

The other day a National Football League team and an NFL player collided off the field, with each side accusing the other of unsportsmanlike conduct. But as we referee the dispute, we drop the flag on the team, not on the player. Mark us down as softies on the issue of fatherhood.

The Houston Oilers docked tackle David Williams $125,000 for missing Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots because he stayed with his wife after the birth of their first child.

As employers, the Oilers have the right to demand punctuality for the big bucks they pay their players. But considering the macho mores of professional football, Williams is to be commended for wanting to stay with his wife. As proud poppa Williams put it, “Whatever the fine, it’s money well spent.” But it surely did cost him. The Oilers don’t call that sacrifice a fine, but a loss of pay. Whatever, it surely wasn’t a reward for fatherhood.

The coaches point out that staying for the actual birth was one thing but that after the player’s son was born at 6:25 p.m. Saturday, the new dad could have caught a flight from Houston to Boston or even chartered a plane to make the game. After all, the coaches reasoned, the boy was born 17 hours before game time. One coach said that most of the guys are on the road when their wives have babies.

This is too hardhearted for us. Yes, football is a business, but a lot of businesses go out of their way these days to accommodate pressing family needs. Williams should be seen as a role model for putting his wife and family first. In our book he’s a winner.