Houston Texans LB Tim Dobbins to appeal $30K fine over Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler hit – NFL News
Houston Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins said he plans to appeal against the hefty $30,000 fine slapped by the National Football League (NFL) office on him for head hit on Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler who suffered concussion and is out of the side.
Tim denied he had hit the player in the head but admitted he hit him in the chest and this is probably a basis for him to rely on while seeking overturning of the league’s decision of the penalty.
He said:
"I did not hit him in his head, and actually he ran into me. I just felt like he was going to take off and run with the ball and I thought he was past the line."
The LB added:
"But it was good that he was out, though. I mean you always want to take the quarterback out of the game. I hit him in his chest. I did not hit him in his head. Nowhere near it. I did not touch his helmet."
This is one of the hefty fines the league has imposed this season for a concussion hit, and it comes a day after the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) asked the league office to position independent concussion experts on the sidelines during each game to monitor
head hits.
The union criticised the league office’s continued ignorance towards rising number of serious head injuries and demanded that it was high time for the office to start appointing experts with no affiliations with any team.
Already about half a dozen players have suffered concussions and with the season almost halfway through many more can potentially come. The office is yet to reply to the demand of the union formally. Otherwise, it has said that the safety and protection
of players have been its priority, and the number of concussed players in the meantime has kept increasing.
Back to Tim’s appeal, it is less likely that the fine will be overruled given the player has admitted he had hit the player in the chest, and the fact is that concussion or any other injury per say was direct result of that hit.
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