Olivier Vernon was notified that he was going to be fined, and it now looks like the NFL has put a price on the two hits to Mariota.
Per ProfootballTalk, Vernon is looking at a hefty price tag for the hits that injured Mariota. While his teammates felt the hit was legal, the NFL seems to think otherwise and it didn’t come cheap.
The NFL has confirmed that Vernon was fined $37,363 for two roughing the passer infractions. The NFL fined Vernon $17,363 for striking Mariota in the knee area in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, and $20,000 for striking Mariota in the head and neck area in the third quarter.
Interestingly, the heavier fine comes for the hit that didn’t injure Mariota: Although Mariota will miss this week’s game with the knee injury that he suffered when Vernon hit him, that hit is the one that is costing Vernon $17,363. The NFL apparently fined Vernon more for the second hit because the NFL places a particular emphasis on avoiding hits to the head.
Looks like the NFL isn’t taking these hits too lightly, as they shouldn’t. Safety in the NFL has been an increasingly large concern.
