Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal was fined $28,075 for unnecessary roughness for a penalty during the Aug. 22 exhibition loss to Washington.
Before being fined, Neal took to social media to defend his hit on Washington wide receiver Jordan Reed.
“People were like coming to me about it and saying things,” Neal said on Tuesday. “For me, I never have ill intent playing the game. Obviously, I’m a physical player and I’m an enforcer. That’s my game. But to try to hit someone helmet to helmet, that’s not me. That’s not my game. That’s what I tried to relay through the twitter.”
On third-and-7 from Washington’s 26, Neal and DeVondre Campbell pummeled Reed after catching a 10-yard pass from Case Keenum. The Falcons were penalized 15 yards as Neal was called for lowering the head to initiate contact on the play.
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