WHY do players do this???

[CL39]

You probably have seen it too, but it just puzzles me.
After a player just clatters someone w/ high/late tackle
(resulting in almost broken or sometimes actual broken legs)
or almost tears the other player's head off w/ deliberate elbow,
the ref comes over to call foul, give yellow or sometimes a red card.

Now, the offending player, far from being remorseful or at least recognize
that he was at fault, are actually ANGRY, ranging from a simple incredulous "wasn't me"
look to full-out FURY. As soon as the foul is committed, they launch into an explosion,
and that's before the ref even starts to walk his way. What the hell are they angry about?

I've seen on few occasions, the offender just take his red card, walk away,
head hung in shame, sometime shaking the fouled player's hand, but that seems
rare.

So, what goes on w/ these players?

[Teso Dos Bichos]

They are getting it out of their system. If they did not then no doubt the next tackle would be even worse.

[DemiChika]

Pent up energy needing to be released.

[RichardL]

A lot of those challenges aren't anywhere near as bad as the "victims" make out.

Sometimes players make an honest attempt at a tackle, but mistime it by a fraction. They don't feel, unsurprisingly, that such an action merits a red card, particularly if the contact was minimal. When a player rolls around in "agony" after the foul, refs feel more inclined to give a red card. They punish by how bad the situation looks, not by how serious the offence actually is, which is wrong, and is why players cheat.

It's strange, but you almost never see a player sent off for a foul that actually does break a player's leg.

The fact is football isn't a non-contact sport and inevitably from time to time the odd bit of unintentional but painful contact is going to be made. That shouldn't merit an automatic red card.

[solost22]

I agree w/RichardL. on a regular basis i have the bad habit of getting mad after a hard tackle. I'm not a dirty player, if I obviously push or clip a player, I put my hands up admitting guilt almost immediately. But when the player who I tackle or foul starts rolling on the ground crying to bring additional attention to the foul hoping that I am punished w/greater severity, it is frustrating and I regularly make a comment to the player ("get up, i didn't hit you that hard") and then I ALWAYS turn to the ref to protest w/the hope that my protest counters the acting job of the player on the ground.