Source: Ravens' Smith fined for hip-drop tackle

TAMPA, Fla. — Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith has been fined after the NFL ruled Friday that he used a hip-drop tackle on Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin on Monday night, a source told ESPN.

Smith’s tackle on Godwin with 1:04 remaining in regulation resulted in the receiver suffering a dislocated left ankle. Smith, who can be seen on the play pulling on Godwin’s left leg, will get a league-mandated fine of $16,833, a source said.

Smith can appeal the ruling.

The source also said Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield will not be disciplined for using Zyn — a smoke-free nicotine pouch — on the sideline during the game, which television cameras picked up.

The NFL prohibits the use of tobacco-related products on the field and during interviews. The source said Mayfield would receive a letter reminding him that he should not be using the product on the sideline, and he could be subject to a fine if it happens again.

The NFL defines a hip-drop tackle taking place when a defender “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms,” and “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”

The rulebook also states any play using this technique would be assessed a 15-yard penalty with the opposing team granted an automatic first down, but that didn’t happen in the Ravens’ 41-31 victory.

In March, NFL clubs voted unanimously to ban hip-drop tackles. The league reviewed 20,000 tackles from 2022-2023 and determined that hip-drop tackles cause lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles.

Godwin, who leads the NFL with 50 catches through the first seven weeks of the regular season, underwent surgery Wednesday to repair the injury and is not expected to return this year.

“We don’t always get to know ‘why,’ but that rarely matters anyway,” Godwin said in an Instagram post Friday morning — his first comments since the injury — though he did not make mention of the tackle. “Adversity reveals our true character and I look forward to the opportunity to display mine throughout this process.”

Smith told reporters Thursday that he was praying for Godwin.

“First and foremost, just send prayers and a speedy recovery out to Chris,” Smith said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a player, what he’s accomplished throughout this league, and the little I’ve seen of him he seems like a really good dude, and what I’ve heard, a good family man.

“You never want to see anybody go down with any kind of injury, but we play a very physical game and it demands a lot. Bullets are flying pretty fast, but I never go into any game meaning to injure any player. I want every player to go back home safe and sound to their family, maybe a little sore, but I definitely want you to get back home safe and sound.”