Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith was not fined this past week for his hit last Sunday on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett that resulted in the rookie quarterback being placed in concussion protocol throughout this past week.
On the Week 14 Sunday hit in question, Smith seemingly grabbed Pickett’s facemask as part of him driving the rookie quarterback to the ground. That hit resulted in Pickett leaving the game for good a few series later after being placed in concussion protocol.
Pickett was only able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and after entering the weekend listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report, he was downgraded to out for Sundays road game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.
This past Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated that he had no issue with Smith’s Sunday hit on Pickett. It should also be noted that Smith was not flagged for the hit right after it took place.
If the NFL reviewed Smith’s hit this past week, they must of deemed that he did not break the rule listed below:
“No player shall grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction.
Note: If a player grasps an opponent’s facemask, he must immediately release it. If he does not immediately release it and controls his opponent, it is a foul.”
Below is a clip of Pickett being pulled down by Smith:
