The Baltimore Ravens tried to keep quiet about an injury to one of their stars and are now paying the price.
The NFL confirmed today that it fined the Baltimore ravens $20,000 for not listing Ed Reed on their injury report. Reed actually revealed the shoulder injury publicly first, and that was the first anyone knew about it. Although it may have been small, the rule is every injury has to be listed on the injury report.
The NFL said in a statement: “The Ravens failed to list safety Ed Reed on the injury report for a labrum tear in his shoulder. Reed publicly acknowledged the injury on October 17 prior to Week 7 games and said it could be affecting his play. Although Reed fully participated in practices and games after sustaining the injury, he should have been listed on the report with a shoulder injury and fully participating in practice.”
They also added, “The Injury Report Policy states that, ‘All players with significant or noteworthy injuries must be listed on the report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game. This is especially true of key players and those players whose injuries have been covered extensively by the media.”‘
Although $20,000 is certainly nothing to laugh at, for NFL teams it can basically be considered a slap on the wrist.