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| Ed Reed appealed his suspension on Tuesday morning. (Getty Images) |
On Sunday night, Ravens safety Ed Reed was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. And in the league's ongoing effort to make the game safe, not only was Reed penalized 15 yards, he was subsequently suspended one game for "repeated violations" dating to 2010. The suspension also includes one game check worth $423,529.
Reed appealed the suspension, and the league heard the appeal Tuesday morning, according to CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman and Jason La Canfora.
No decision has been made on Reed's fate, though one could come as early as Wednesday.
During an appearance on Mike and Mike in the Morning, NFL Executive Vice President Ray Anderson explained Reed's punishment.
“We want him to hit below the head and neck area,” Anderson said (via PFT). “We’d like to see him use his shoulder. We’d like to see him wrap up in a more traditional technique. But we absolutely do not want to see head to head, shoulder, forearm to head or neck area, no real attempt to wrap, and almost going missilelike up high. We cannot have those in the game any longer. …
“Ed Reed, unfortunately, is a repeat offender. We put the burden on the defender to alter his target in those situations when a player is defenseless."
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was understandably shocked by the suspension, and he wasn't alone. Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who is intimately familiar with the league's fine schedule, was surprised too.
Baltimore, which holds a two-game lead on Pittsburgh in the division, faces San Diego on Sunday.
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