New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Khristian Boyd has been fined $4,600 (0.58% of his base salary this year) for his hit on DeVonta Smith that caused the Philadelphia Eagles’ star wide receiver to leave the game with a concussion.
By fining Boyd, the NFL is admitting that the referees got it wrong and should’ve threw a penalty flag on that play.
There’s also a strong case to be made that the refs screwed up by not whistling the play dead earlier. Smith’s forward progress had already been stopped well before Boyd took his big shot at the Eagles receiver who couldn’t defend himself.