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The NFL isn't going to let Keanu Neal's hit on Jordan Reed fly. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons safety $28,075 for his hit on the Washington Redskins tight end in preseason Week 3.
Neal hit Reed head-on in the exhibition game.
Jordan Reed took a BIG shot to the head from Keanu Neal.
15 yard penalty.
Oof. Not the kind of contact you want to see guys taking, especially in preseason.
(Reed popped straight up and was fine.)#Redskins pic.twitter.com/aNVpFbriOk
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) August 23, 2019
Neal earned the Falcons a 15-yard penalty for the hit. Reed, who has a history with concussions, was taken to concussion protocol.
It was an ugly hit, but Neal wants to re-enforce the backfield; hitting a play head-on is not his intent while playing the game, as he said, per SB Nation:
Article Continues Below“People were coming to me about [the Jordan Reed hit], saying things. For me, I never have ill-intent playing the game. Obviously, I’m a physical player. I’m an enforcer. That’s my game. But to try and hit someone helmet-to-helmet that’s not me. That’s not my game.”
Reed has responded to Neal's comments. It's currently unknown if Neal sustained a concussion on the play. The veteran Redskins tight end has a long history with injuries. If he is ruled to have a concussion, it would be the third reported one of his NFL career and fifth total (two at Florida).
Reed has missed 31 of 96 regular-season games since 2013. His injuries include, hamstring pulls, toe sprains, hamstring strains, A/C joint separation, MCL sprain, quad strain, bruises, and thumb strain.
Sports Injury Predictor flags Reed at high risk of re-injury of 2019 with a 73% chance of doing so.
The site expects him to miss 3.8 games in the upcoming season.
