Breece Hall Furious Over $43k Fine: 'I'm Supposed To Just Let Him Hit Me?'

Breece Hall lost a good chunk of his weekly paycheck because he braced for contact from a defender.

The New York Jets running back caught a pass early in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons. After turning upfield and breaking a tackle, Hall needed a few more yards for the first down.

However, Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell closed in quickly to bring Hall to the ground. Bracing for the impending collision, the running back lowered his head. Terrell prevented Hall from moving the chains, but he went into concussion protocol as a result.

Here’s the violent collision.

The NFL, always in a mood to fine its players, took $43,709 out of Hall’s paycheck as a result.

The Breece Hall Fine Is Another Consequence Of A Flawed NFL Rule

In Article 10 of the NFL’s rule book, the league says that if a player “lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent,” it is considered a foul. That’s perfectly fine, the rule exists in order to protect player’s brains and necks.

In some cases, fines for these types of plays make sense. Two weeks ago, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown got fined for initiating contact with his head on a block. That’s an understandable decision, you can find ways to block a defender without using your head.

But not every situation mirrors this set of circumstances. As a running back, you have to do something to brace for contact from a defender. Plus, if that’s the rule, why didn’t Terrell get fined? He closed in like a torpedo and lowered his head to initiate contact just before Hall lowered his shoulder. And yet we’re going to let him go unpunished and penalize the guy who protected himself?

That’s exactly what frustrated Hall, and he said as much over X.

The NFL should change this rule to provide exceptions for ball carriers. Anyone with the ball should not get penalized for protecting themselves.

Unfortunately for Hall, the fine wasn’t the only L he took that week. The Falcons escaped with a 13-8 victory.