not making a scapegoat... just not having any sympathy for him.... as soon as you raise your arm with any intention you risk getting booked... theres a fine line between a red and a yellow card, commentators, managers and the like never know which it will be.... its purely down to the refs decision.... but the player puts himself at risk for doing it in the first place.. Mullins retaliated and got punished too, a raised hand deserves a red card, of course I am referring to todays rules set in stone by the FA, not what I believe the rules should be..