Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin has been hit hard by the league office for his hard hit on Bengals punter Kevin Huber.
The NFL has fined Garvin $25,000, WLWT’s Artrell Hawkins reports.
Garvin was not flagged on the play, but the NFL said afterward that he should have been. Punters and kickers are considered defenseless players, meaning they can’t be hit in the head or neck area. Garvin’s helmet struck Huber’s chin. Huber suffered a broken jaw and a cracked vertebrae on the hit, ending his season.
Garvin told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he plans to reach out to Huber, but he added that he doesn’t think he can change the way he plays on special teams just because the NFL is going to discipline him.
“When you’re playing football, you don’t think of all that, you’re thinking about doing what you’ve got to do to make a play,” Garvin said. “I wasn’t out there trying to be vicious or anything like that, I’m just trying to do what I can to make a play and help my team out. When you’re in a game, you’re trying to make a play, that’s all I’m thinking about.”
The $25,000 fine shows the NFL also wants Garvin to think about lowering his target.