The Buffalo Bills threw metaphorical haymakers on the field in their blowout win over the Tennessee Titans on Monday night, but one of their players threw a literal punch following the contest.
The NFL announced Tuesday that Bills backup offensive lineman Bobby Hart is being suspended for one game for violating unsportsmanlike conduct rules. According to the NFL, Hart swung at a Titans players, but instead struck a Tennessee coach in the head.
“As both teams were heading to the tunnel, you walked directly across the field to seek out your opponent,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Hart, per the release. “You approached him near the end zone and a coach had to hold you back as others shook hands. Once you and your opponent were in the end zone near the tunnel, you confronted him and immediately swung at him with a closed fist, striking the head of a Tennessee coach. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”
The NFL did not identify the player Hart confronted or the coach he ended up hitting.
Hart actually played three games, starting one of them, for the Titans last season after being cut by the Bills. He re-signed with Buffalo this offseason and has played sparingly through the first two games of the season. Hart, who is in his eighth season in the league, did play 25% of the offensive snaps in Buffalo’s 41-7 win over the Titans at Highmark Stadium.
Hart is planning to appeal the one-game suspension, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who cited sources.
If Hart doesn’t win his appeal, he’ll miss a big divisional clash, with the Bills traveling to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Sunday.
