Two Philadelphia Eagles have been fined for illegal hits on Giants players in Sunday night’s game.
Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel was fined $40,000 for his hit on Giants receiver Derek Hagan. Eagles coach Andy Reid questioned why Samuel was penalized for the hit at all, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Reid convinced the league office not to fine Samuel $50,000, which was the original plan.
The fine is the latest sign that the NFL means business when it tells players they’re not allowed to go head-first into defenseless receivers. It’s an expensive lesson that plenty of NFL players haven’t yet learned.
Eagles guard Todd Herremans was fined $5,000 for hits on Giants defensive lineman Chris Canty. Herremans was called for two penalties on Sunday, and Canty was furious because he thought Herremans was trying to take him out at the knees.
“Two of them. Same guy. That kind of behavior, it’s either taught or it’s allowed,” Canty told Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger. “Either way, it has no place in our game.”
The NFL has now made clear that it agrees with Canty. But the league office is also making a statement that it thinks going after a receiver’s head is eight times as bad as going after a lineman’s knees.