Baltimore Ravens Linebackers Roquan Smith was initially fined for his attack Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide receivers Chris Godwin This caused the wide receiver to dislocate his ankle. The The league determined it was a hip-drop tackleBut Smith appealed the fine starting in Week 7 and will reportedly get the fine vacated, it is said ESPN.
Hearing Officer Jordy Nelson revoked the $16,883 fine for Smith's alleged unnecessary rudeness, the report said. Smith was not penalized for the play during the game, but received the fine after the fact.
Godwin will miss the entire regular season due to the injury. When he suffered a season-ending ankle injury, he led the league with 50 receptions, was second with 576 yards, and tied for third with five touchdowns.
This was Smith's first violation of the new hip drop tackle rule.
The states that hip drop tackles have an injury rate 20 to 25 times higher than other tackles, and the league has taken time to define what a tackle is so that it can point it out in a game scenario. During a game, if the referees determine that a hip-drop tackle has occurred, they must assess a 15-yard penalty.
The rule book defines a hip-drop tackle as a defender who grabs or wraps a runner with both hands or arms and then relieves himself by “pivoting and lowering his hip and/or lower body, on the leg(s)” en) of the runner lands at or and it gets trapped below the knee.”
Back in March, the NFL Players Association released a statement to the league banning the tackle and calling on the NFL to reconsider its position.
“While players have consistently advocated for improvements in health and safety, any ban on the 'hip drop tackle' technique is unfair to the players and unrealistic in implementation,” the union said in a statement. “It puts defensive players in an impossible position by creating indecision in the minds of all attacking players, puts the officials in an unreasonable situation that leads to inconsistent calls on the field, and confuses our fans.”