"I would never think that anybody ... would hurt him, " Goreel told WGN.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Still, fears of the Delaware senator being overly aggressive never came to fruition and certainly did not hurt him when it came down to the bottom line: who won the debate.

CNN: Analysis: Palin gets back on track, but Biden wins debate

Gerrard claimed he never intended to hurt Naysmith, despite television replays showing him jumping into the tackle.

BBC: Gerrard gets three-game ban