Brandon Meriweather has drawn a lot of criticism throughout his career for dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits that he has delivered on opponents
These plays have the potential to injure both Meriweather and his opponent, and on Monday, the NFL suspended the Redskins safety for two games, per ESPN. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that Merriweather is “expected to appeal.”
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The latest of Meriweather’s dangerous hits came on Sunday when he made helmet-to-helmet contact with Chicago Bears star wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Earlier in the game, he delivered a hit on a defenseless receiver (Alshon Jeffery). In Week 2, a helmet-to-helmet hit from Meriweather gave Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy a concussion.
Marshall had some strong comments about Meriweather’s style of play after the Bears’ loss, telling Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times that “Guys like [Meriweather] really don’t understand that there’s life after football.”
Marshall’s criticism is spot on, and since the NFL has been adamant about getting rid of helmet-to-helmet hits over the last few years, it’s not surprising that Meriweather has been suspended after being fined multiple times previously in his career for dangerous hits. It will be interesting to see if this discipline from the league results in the 29-year-old defensive back playing a cleaner game when he returns to the field.
