Saints defender fined for unpenalized hit that caused DeVonta Smith concussion

New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Khristian Boyd has been fined $4,600 (0.58% of his base salary this year) for his hit on DeVonta Smith that caused the Philadelphia Eagles’ star wide receiver to leave the game with a concussion.

By fining Boyd, the NFL is admitting that the referees got it wrong and should’ve threw a penalty flag on that play.

There’s also a strong case to be made that the refs screwed up by not whistling the play dead earlier. Smith’s forward progress had already been stopped well before Boyd took his big shot at the Eagles receiver who couldn’t defend himself.

Smith had to leave the Eagles-Saints game early and it looks like he might not be able to play in Week 4, either. That’s a pretty annoying development for Smith and the Eagles, who could also be without A.J. Brown. Injuries are inevitable in the NFL but this one was avoidable had the refs not messed up.

Then again, the Saints were playing a dirty brand of football, even if Dennis Allen doesn’t want to admit it.