Broncos safety Dymonte Thomas was fined $28,075 after being penalized for unnecessary roughness in the third quarter of a preseason game against the Seahawks last week, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Thomas was penalized for lowering his head and hitting an opponent in his head/neck area. The defensive back might appeal the fine because video replays show that Thomas had his helmet to the side and his shoulder pads would have hit the runner’s shoulder pads if the Seattle player had not ducked his own head.
Rules like this make it hard for a safety to make contact on this kind of play without being penalized. When a runner lowers his head, it’s hard for a defender to stop his momentum from making contact with the runner’s head. Thomas’ head was lowered but it was to the side, not leading for a helmet-to-helmet collision.
Thomas, 25, is scheduled to earn $645,000 this season.
