On Monday night, a potential hip-drop tackle by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith dislocated the ankle of Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin. Was Smith fined by the league for the maneuver?
He won’t say.
Via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, Smith wouldn’t disclose whether the league imposed punishment on him for violating the new ban against hip-drop tackles.
“I never go into any game meaning to injure any player,” Smith said Thursday. “I want every player to go back home safe and sound to their family — maybe a little sore.”
If Smith was fined, the league office will disclose it on Saturday.
“I got a lot of respect for [Godwin] as a player and what he has accomplished throughout this league,” Smith said. “You never want to see anybody go down with any type of injury. But we play a very physical game. It demands a lot. Bullets are flying pretty fast.”
A hip-drop tackle happens only when the specific elements are met: (1) the defensive player grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; (2) the defensive player unweights himself and drops his hips or lower body; and (3) the defensive player lands on and traps the runners legs at or below the knee.
The play has not yet been flagged in real time; it’s too hard to spot all of the elements at full speed. But the league has been imposing fines after the fact.
In two days, we’ll find out whether Smith was fined.
