There’s been a lot of focus on the behavior that led to Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham’s suspension the last few days, particularly on the vicious shot he delivered to the side of Panthers cornerback Josh Norman’s head at the end of a play for no reason other than delivering a vicious shot to the side of Norman’s head.
Beckham wasn’t the only player to deliver such a hit in Week 15. Steelers center Cody Wallace laid out Broncos safety David Bruton when he came flying in late on a play involving wide receiver Antonio Brown. Wallace was penalized on the field for the play, which Bruton correctly characterized as a “dirty” play, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Wednesday morning that Wallace isn’t facing a suspension.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Wallace has been fined $23,152 for the hit. He was previously fined by the league for probing Randy Starks’s undercarriage with his hand in 2013.
There are differences in the cases, most notably Beckham’s two other personal fouls during the game against the Panthers and numerous unpenalized extracurricular activities that the league noted in its letter to Beckham about the suspension. That said, the question of the appropriate penalties for players who cross the line and put players at risk of brain injuries the way Wallace did is one that should be discussed given the league’s statements of interest in player safety.
