The tackle that injured Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin on Monday night is reportedly being investigated by the NFL to see if it contains elements of the hip takedown, which the NFL banned from play in March.
The tackle happened in the final minute of Monday night’s game between the Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens, which the Ravens won 41-31. Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and another Ravens defender ran toward Godwin, who was trying to get a first down, and it was Smith who ended up dropping Godwin to the ground.
It was immediately obvious after the play that Godwin was in a lot of pain. He was eventually ejected, and head coach Todd Bowles said after the game that Godwin likely had a dislocated ankle. He would have surgery this week and miss the rest of the season.
Although the tackle was not identified as a hip-drop on the field, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the tackle “appears to have all the elements” of a hip tackle. Here is the definition of a hip-drop tackle, straight from the NFL football operations website.
A hip tackle occurs when a defender wraps around a ball carrier and rotates or rotates his hips, relieving himself and falling onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.
Had it been identified as a hip tackle on the field, the Ravens would have received a 15-yard penalty, the Bucs would have received an automatic first down, and Smith would have been automatically fined $16,883 (the same than that imposed). with horse collars, blind blocks, etc.). Smith will still be fined if the NFL determines he used a hip tackle on Godwin.