Is stomping opponents OK?

I can’t enumerate the times I’ve seen a headline that said something like, “Steelers stomp Chargers” or “Lakers walk over Warriors.”

Hyperbole is part of sports writing.

But this week when I saw the video of Minnesota’s Kevin Love walking on a fallen Luis Scola of Houston, it was pretty real. If not “stomping,” it was at least “stepping” on another player.

Stepping on another player is among the most insulting and degrading gestures. But it seems to be gaining popularity. Remember Ndamukong Suh attacking the Packers’ Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving Day?

The first stomping I remember being caught on film was during the 1972 college basketball game between Minnesota and Ohio State. In that one, Ron Behagen actually did stomp on the head of OSU’s Luke Witte.

I’m sure there have been plenty of other examples in the ensuing years. But seeing them again is a reminder how brutal things can get. Behagen was suspended for the remainder of that season. On the other hand, Suh and Love only got two game suspensions.

Were they different degrees, or is stepping on another player not considered as serious as it used to be?