Jared Allen has taken plenty of heat for Sunday's blind-side block on Chicago Bears guard Lance Louis. Now he's hearing it from the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings defensive end has been fined $21,000 by the NFL for the hit, Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported Wednesday. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport later confirmed the fine.
It was announced Monday that Louis suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play, which came during an Antoine Winfield interception return. Louis was placed on injured reserve this week, and Bears coach Lovie Smith was critical of Allen's tactics.
"Jared Allen plays the game a certain way," Smith said Monday. "Good player. I think our game could do without that play."
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"I was surprised by it to be honest," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler told the Chicago Tribune. "He's not that type of guy. He plays extremely hard. He does usually do things the right way. I have always respected him. It kind of caught me off guard. You look at the play and he hit him the head. He did all the things he shouldn't do. Whether there is a fine, it will be up to the league office. But I don't think it is indicative of the type of player or person he."
Allen called it a "legal hit" after the game, but the NFL apparently disagrees.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
