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 who thought I had ill intent don’t know me for one.. and probably haven’t played football past high school.
— Keanu Neal (@Keanu_Neal) August 24, 2019
“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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