I joined the movement called "Pay James Harrison's Bogus fine," where fans are sending Commissioner Goodell a letter with a dollar in it to pay the fine. What's disturbing is that the league is fining Harrison while using images of the hit, for which he was fined, to promote the hard hitting action of the NFL.
I think the league is overreacting to the hits. There are helmet to helmet hits on every play. The gratuitous hits should be subject to fine, but when you have receivers crossing the middle at great speed, catching passes at shoulder/head level, a defender has to hit high and hard. Imposing strict liability draconian fines and suspensions will have a chilling effect on the way the game is played.
I agree with the defensive players' reaction.