The NFL fined Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith over $16,000 for his hip-drop tackle in Week 7 on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, NFL Network reported Friday.
Smith’s tackle resulted in Godwin having to be carted off the field, with the eventual determination that the receiver dislocated his ankle, likely ending his 2024 season.
The injury occurred with 42 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after Godwin reeled in a 21-yard completion.
In March, NFL owners voted unanimously to remove the hip-drop tackle, which is “when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.”
A defender executing a hip-drop tackle results in a 15-yard penalty. That said, Smith wasn’t flagged for the banned tackle in live time.
Prior to the injury, Godwin logged seven receptions for 65 yards and was leading the NFL with 50 receptions for 576 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, Smith finished the 41-31 Ravens win with a combined 18 tackles. Smith, a two-time All-Pro, is in his second full season with the Ravens, logging 74 combined tackles and one forced fumble this season.
Baltimore has won five consecutive games following its 0-2 start, while Tampa Bay has lost three of its past five and is also expected to be without star wide receiver Mike Evans for at least three weeks due to a hamstring injury.
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