By Danny Cox
The bounty scandal with the New Orleans Saints is still ongoing, but that hasn’t stopped teams from doing things to rack up the fines. Big hits have been a huge part of this 2012 NFL season, but so has “dirty play,” and it is costing plenty of players a lot of money.
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
This time though, fines are also being handed out for things that teams aren’t doing.
Both the Washington Redskins and the Buffalo Bills were fined $20,000 each by the NFL for violating league procedures on reporting injuries.
There are certain codes and stipulations as to how all 32 NFL teams must report injuries to players on their rosters. Whether it is to the league itself or to the media after practices and games; teams need to adhere to the regulations for reporting injuries. The Redskins and Bills did not.
Washington was fined for not properly updating the media on the status of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III during the game against Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2012. He left with a head injury during the game and it actually ended up being diagnosed as a mild concussion.
Coach Mike Shanahan merely described the injury to RG3 as him being “shaken up.”
Buffalo, on the other hand, failed to list defensive end Mario Williams on the injury report at all. He was being treated for a sprained left wrist that had actually been limiting his effectiveness and bothering him a bit. That news was relayed back on Oct. 3, 2012 and Williams was not listed on the injury report.
The NFL stated that he should have been listed, and he actually has been the past two weeks.
NFL teams don’t always report injuries as they should, and sometimes they report injuries that aren’t even there. One might wonder why they would report false injuries, but it sometimes can work in their favor.
A couple years back, the New England Patriots would list quarterback Tom Brady every single week on the team’s injury report. He would be listed as “Probable” or “Questionable,” and at first it seemed a bit confusing, but it was actually quite a smart ploy and tactic.
By having Brady listed on the injury report, teams would have to prepare for a Patriots‘ team with him or possibly without him. Whether Tom Brady is in the line-up or not, would cause the game plan of New England to be extremely different and leave a team’s weekly defensive scheme up in the air.
The NFL takes injury reports very seriously and must insist that teams don’t falsify or withhold information from them.
A number of other fines were handed out this past week, but they were all for big hits.
New York Jets Aaron Maybin and Quinton Coples were both fined for separate hits on Andrew Luck in last weekend’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Safety Harrison Smith of the Minnesota Vikings was fined $15,750 for a horse-collar tackle on RG3 in the team’s 38-26 loss to the Redskins.
Detroit Lions defensive end Lawrence Jackson was fined $15,750 for a low hit (below the knees) on Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles. Another Lion was fined, but it wasn’t for a big hit. Wide receiver Nate Burleson is now short $10,000 for simulating shooting a gun after scoring a touchdown.
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Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
