Sendejo suspended for one game after hit on Wallace, plans to appeal

The Minnesota Vikings’ safety was flagged for unnecessary roughness after delivering a brutal blow to Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace.

Since becoming a starter on the Minnesota Vikings’ defense back in 2015, safety Andrew Sendejo has evolved into a bit of a head-hunter. Sendejo has delivered numerous hits over the last three years that would have easily been featured on the now defunct ESPN Monday Night Countdown segment, “Jacked Up”.

This was the case once again on Sunday when the Vikings took on the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Early in the first quarter, Ravens (and former Minnesota) wide receiver Mike Wallace caught a slant pass over the middle of the field and was quickly introduced to Sendejo’s shoulder. The safety’s hit resulted in Wallace sustaining a concussion and missing the rest of Sunday’s game.

Following the play, officials decided to flag Sendejo for unnecessary roughness and gave possession back to Baltimore despite Minnesota recovering the football after Wallace dropped it during the hit.

Well the NFL was apparently not too happy with the shot the Vikings’ safety delivered on Sunday and it was announced on Monday that the league has decided to suspend him for one game as a result of his actions.

Sendejo is already planning to appeal the suspension according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

A suspension seems a bit odd for this case given that it did not seem like the Minnesota safety had any intention of making contact with Wallace’s head.

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It looked as though Sendejo was already in the process of a tackle attempt when the receiver began to head towards the ground in an attempt to avoid getting hit. There was literally no time for the Vikings safety to adjust his positioning and avoid making contact with Wallace’s head.

A fine is something that seems more logical for this specific case. But a suspension is apparently what the NFL deemed necessary for Sendejo’s hit on Sunday.

Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer was asked about the hit during his presser on Monday.

"“I think the receiver took five steps after he caught the ball. I think he hit him with a glancing blow. I know what (the officials) told me, but I’m going to turn it in to the league and see what they say. He established position as a runner, took two extra steps. Xavier (Rhodes) was trying to pull the ball out, which he ended up doing. The guy went down a little bit. But in my opinion, he was a runner.”"

Next: Top 5 takeaways from the Vikings' Week 7 win

Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan is the last player to get suspended for an unnecessary roughness call after delivering a violent blow to the head of Green Bay Packers receiver Davonte Adams in Week 4. Trevathan was originally suspended for two games but later had it reduced to just one after an appeal.