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Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons fullback Keith Smith received the largest fine in the NFL this season after Week 3. Now, he’s paying no money at all.
Smith told ESPN on Thursday his $87,418 fine has been rescinded after an appeals meeting with the league, where he and his agent made the case that the technique he had been using was being used leaguewide.
NFLPA president J.C. Tretter wrote a letter Wednesday in which he called for the overhauling of the fines and appeals process and insinuated Smith’s fine had been overturned by the league. In the letter, Tretter said he basically made the same argument publicly that Smith and his team did in the appeals process.
“It’s just like, a lot of the hits, especially at my position, not only just on kick return, but at fullback, because I’ve been fined multiple times for use of helmet,” Smith told ESPN. “Just carrying out routine blocks.
“But they are just very subjective in that rule, use of helmet, is sometimes impossible because you can’t always control how a defender takes you on. So you can only use the technique that you’re taught continuously and sometimes that goes against the rule when you slow it down in slow motion.”
Smith said he emphasized he never intended to use his helmet on the play — where he blocked Detroit running back Zonovan Knight on a kickoff return by Mike Hughes in Week 3 — but the approach from Knight made it look like it did.
Smith said on the call he explained himself and his job as a fullback in the league, and how it’s hard to not use his head at times because of where and from how far the impact on the potential hits were coming from. If he moved his head out of the way on some of those potential hits, Smith said, it would have put Smith in a vulnerable position for injury.
Smith said he learned from the process because he’s not interested in losing money and that he has been working on altering his technique the past few seasons, trying to drop his hips instead of bending at the waist, but sometimes it’s hard to do so.
Smith said he didn’t think he’d get the fine fully rescinded because of prior fines — he has gotten prior fines reduced — but that he had good arguments and won his case.
“They had some understanding,” Smith said.
Messages sent to NFL representatives seeking comment were not immediately returned to ESPN.
Source: www.espn.com