Every week, we see that the on-field officials and the NFL’s disciplinary department are not on the same page about what constitutes an illegal hit. Today, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is among the players to find that out the hard way.
Lamb was fined $22,511 for what the NFL called “Unnecessary Roughness (use of the helmet)” even though he was not flagged on the play in question.
At the end of the first quarter Sunday against the Ravens, Lamb caught a pass, turned upfield, lowered his shoulder and hit Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the chest with the top of his helmet. It didn’t look like a dirty play and didn’t draw a flag, but the NFL fined him anyway.
Lamb joins Packers running back Josh Jacobs among the offensive players who got stiff fines this week for hitting a tackler head-first. Jacobs also wasn’t flagged for the hit that drew the ire of the league office.
