Repeated hip-drop tackles can result in more than repeated fines.
The NFL has suspended Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu without pay for one game after performing another hip-drop tackle in Sunday night’s loss to the Seahawks.
It happened in the first quarter. No penalty was called.
Luvu was fined $23,186 for a hip-drop tackle in Week 4 against the Falcons and $46,372 for a hip-drop tackle last Monday night against the Chiefs.
The rulebook state, “It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground: (a) grabs the runner with one or both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and (b) unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and/or trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
All elements must be present for a hip-drop foul to occur.
He’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Lions, unless his appeal is successful. Any appeal would be determined by Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, the hearing officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and the NFLPA to handle appeals of on-field discipline.
