The tackle that ended Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris GodwinThe 2024 season of NFL has been working to cut back this offseason.

Friday, NFL fined Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith $16,833 for what he considers a “hip tackle” on Godwin. According to the NFLA hip tackle occurs when a defender “rolls up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, relieving himself and falling onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.” The league bans hip-drop tackling in Marchclaiming it causes lower body injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles.

In Godwin’s case, he suffered a dislocated ankle, which required surgery and ended his 2024 season.

If a hip tackle is triggered on the field, it will be penalized with a 15-yard penalty. and an automatic first test. But referees are only supposed to throw a flag if the hip tackle is observed in real time. This led to several players receiving fines for illegal tackling despite not being reported during the match. According to Spotrac, Smith is the 10th player to be fined for this offense this season.

Smith, who declined to discuss a possible fine Thursday, said he had no intention of injuring Godwin during the tackle.

“You never want to see anyone suffer any kind of injury, but we play a very physical game and that takes a lot,” he said. “Bullets fly pretty fast, but I never go into a match to hurt a player. I want every player to go home safe to their family – maybe a little sore – but other than that, I really want you to go home to your family safe.

When the hip tackle ban was introduced, it received mixed reactions from players. The NFL Players Association expressed disappointment with the ban and the former passer JJ Watt tweeted: “Fast forward to the belts with flags on them.”

Three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Long was a little more optimistic about change.

I’m glad the hip tackle is out of the game. I’m all for the league trying to minimize the risk of serious injuries. This league has a 100 percent injury rate, but hip drops tend to be the cause of injuries that are more difficult to recover from. Good job NFL

–Kyle (@Ky1eLong) March 25, 2024

Godwin’s injury wasn’t the first to occur after a hip tackle.

In the Ravens’ Week 11 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews’ season changed dramatically. Andrews caught a pass from Lamar Jackson at the Bengals’ 10-yard line as linebacker Logan Wilson wrapped Andrews around his hips and curled his left leg.

Wilson stood up with his hands spread away from his body as if he knew he had tackled Andrews badly. He looked down at Andrews as he writhed in pain on the ground. Andrews was immediately helped off the field and was later diagnosed with a fractured left fibula and ligament damage to his left ankle.

Shortly after suffering the injury, Andrews was not opposed to abolishing the hip tackle, but also did not believe that Wilson’s tackle was intentional.

“If they want to ban tackling, (that’s) fine, but I’m going to go out there and play hard no matter what,” Andrews said. “I don’t blame the guy. He just plays ball.

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(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)