The NFL fined Vikings safety Harrison Smith $10,026 for his illegal hit that injured Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky's right shoulder on Nov. 18.
The Bears have said Trubisky's injury requires a short recovery, but the pain in his throwing shoulder was bad enough four days after the hit to keep him out of the 23-16 Thanksgiving win over the Lions. His status for the Dec. 2 road game against the Giants will be determined next week.
Smith was penalized 15 yards for diving into Trubisky after a designed quarterback run in the fourth quarter of the Bears' 25-20 victory. A slow-motion replay showed the Vikings' All-Pro initiated contact with his helmet after Trubisky appeared to give himself up with a sideways slide.
The referee announced the penalty only as a personal foul without mentioning Smith initiating contact with his helmet or explaining whether the hit was deemed late.
Regardless, coach Matt Nagy and the Bears were left to deal with the emotional reaction of losing their quarterback to an illegal hit.
"It wasn't intentional; it's football," Nagy said two days after the play. "It is an illegal hit. You always want to look at things from both sides, and you hope it's not malicious. But when it's a late hit, then it can be challenging for you."
