Vikings safety Harrison Smith was not fined for his hit in Week 14.
Things have been tough for Harrison Smith this season with the Minnesota Vikings. The hard-hitting safety has seen far too many penalty flags thrown in his direction this season and it starts to seem overwhelming.
In Week 14, one such flag came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for lowering his head to initiate contact with a ball carrier. This comes after Smith was ejected from the Vikings’ Week 4 game against the Texans earlier this season for a helmet-to-helmet hit,
The amount of penalties on Smith this season is uncharacteristic of the veteran defensive back. Smith is known for being a clean player with a nose for the football, but his aggressiveness has never been confused for dirty or undisciplined play.
Thankfully, last week’s hit won’t result in further discipline. In fact, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported on his Twitter account that Smith was not fined for that penalty.
Source said that #Vikings safety Harrison Smith was not fined by the NFL for his penalty last Sunday at Tampa Bay for lowering his head to initiate contact.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 19, 2020
Harrison Smith has a long list of accolades. Among those honors he has earned are five Pro Bowl nods, one All-Pro First Team nod, and one All-Pro Second Team spot along with multiple NFC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Although there is no changing the outcome of the play, it’s nice to know that no further action will be taken against Harrison Smith in regards to this hit. However, he has to be a bit frustrated with all the penalties he has endured this year.
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It will be tough for Smith to play at his usual level of play each week if there is always the fear of penalties or ejection when he goes for a hit or tackle. Hopefully, this will have no impact on his play going forward and he can continue to be one of the best safeties in the NFL.