In the preseason opener, Eagles Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had the hit of the night on Steelers QB Byron Leftwich. However, the referee ruled the hit illegal, and the NFL agreed.
According to NBC's Pro Football Talk, Rodgers-Cromartie was fined $21,000 for the hit on Leftwich, as the league ruled that DRC had struck a defenseless player.
The hit came at the 1:05 mark of the first quarter in last Thursday night's contest. Leftwich felt the pocket collapsing, rolled out to the right, and paid the price. As he went to throw a lob pass to TE Leonard Pope, Rodgers-Cromartie leaped into Leftwich and hit him right on the chin.
He was given the minimum fine for hitting a defenseless receiver, but the fine doubles to $42,000 if the league believes he is a repeat offender.
Eagles writer Tim McManus caught up with the second year Eagles Cornerback, and asked him about the hit. His response:
“Twenty-one thousand? I ain’t even got that." I won’t hit ‘em no more, I’ll tell you that much.”
Jake Pavorsky is a contributor for Eagledelphia. You can follow him on Twitter @JakePavorsky.
