Tennessee Titans safety Bernard Pollard has been one of the most fierce hitters in the game for the past several seasons. On Sunday, he threw a shot to the head of Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson that forced Johnson to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms. However, the officials felt it was a clean hit and no flag was thrown.
As many expected, the league disagreed with the no-call. Pollard has been fined $42,000 for the hit. On Wednesday morning, he ripped the NFL on Twitter for fining him for a hit that was deemed legal at the time.
So @nfl said I did "everything right" but 42k later I still get fined. Wow! It's called football but they want 2 hand touch. #TitanUp#
— Bernard Pollard Jr (@Crushboy31) September 18, 2013
Pollard led with his shoulder. Johnson was on his way to the ground at the time the two collided, so it’s tough to say if Pollard targeted his head or not. An official was standing right next to the play and felt there was no penalty. Texans tight end Owen Daniels thought that was outrageous.
“I’ve never seen a more blatant blow to the head,” Daniels said after the game, per the Houston Chronicle. “A big miss by the officials, especially for a guy like Andre. I know you have to protect every player, especially someone like him.”
Officials miss calls all the time. In fact, one of the more recent ones that they blew may have contributed to a Houston win over the San Diego Chargers. Personally, I thought Pollard’s hit was a good football play as he was trying to jar the ball loose. The NFL disagreed, which is hardly a surprise. Here is a video of the play:
