If the NFL is trying to teach Brandon Meriweather a lesson, they’re not doing a very good job.
Meriweather, who was suspended two games on Monday for his continued reckless abandon out on the field, had his suspension reduced to just one game after going through the league appeals process on Wednesday. The Redskins safety will have to miss Sunday’s game against the Broncos and will forfeit his $70,000 game check.
Meriweather is a repeat offender of the NFL’s strict headshot policy this season. He was also fined $42,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers running back Eddie Lacy in Week 2. His most recent punishment stems from a pair of vicious helmet hits against Bears receiver Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett in Washington’s 45-41 win on Sunday. Marshall and Bennett have come out in protest of Meriweather’s dirty play in recent days, even calling him a scumbag and saying they want to “punch him in the face.”
Meriweather has been fined five times by the NFL for illegal hits, costing him nearly $150,000 altogether. Wednesday’s suspension brings his lost wages to over $220,000 over the course of his six-year NFL career.
