When we watched the Sunday Night Football game between the Ravens and Steelers this week, nothing really stood out about a big hit that Baltimore safety Ed Reed made on Pittsburgh wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Was it a hard hit? Sure. Did it deserve an unnecessary roughness penalty? Eh, it depends on your feelings on the NFL's unnecessary roughness rule. But, did it deserve a suspension? Well, that's what everyone out there is wondering this morning.
Late yesterday, the NFL suspended Reed for one game and fined him $423,529, which is what Reed makes per game this season, for what they called "repeated headhunting" as a result of the hit he made on Sanders. Essentially, they're trying to send a message here and let defensive players know that they will not allow them to target the heads and necks of offensive players. More specifically, they're making an example out of Reed, who is well known for making big hits, and suspending him to try and get their point across.
Reed is appealing the suspension, meaning he very well could be in the lineup this week when the Ravens play the Chargers. But, if Reed is ruled out, we have to wonder who else might be next. If he's not safe from earning a suspension for something like this, no one is.
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[via ESPN]
