Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro’s second NFL season hasn’t gone particularly well as he’s struggled to provide reminders of the promise he showed during his rookie season.
Vaccaro’s season got worse last Sunday when the Saints were eliminated from the playoffs and again this week when he learned he’d been fined by the league for a late hit during the game. Vaccaro was not penalized for the play, but was dinged $10,000 by the league for hitting Falcons running back Steven Jackson late. Vaccaro plans to appeal and says he was making a legal hit while trying to stop Jackson’s progress.
“I’d never try to hurt anybody, but at the same time, if I don’t do that, I’m not hustling, I’m not finishing the play,” Vaccaro said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “So you’ve got to pick your poison. I’m just trying to get the guy down. ... You’ve got to defend every blade of grass on the field.”
Vaccaro drew a fine for roughing the passer in his first NFL game last season, but has otherwise avoided league discipline in his first two seasons.
