Saints quarterback Drew Brees said there was "no doubt" that San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks committed a penalty on Brees for striking him in the neck during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-20 New Orleans win.
The NFL agrees with Brees.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that Brooks was fined $15,750 for the hit on Brees. That's the standard fine for a first-time offender. After reviewing the play, the league decided that the personal-foul penalty was just.
Rapoport also reported that Brooks will appeal the fine, according to a source who has spoken to the linebacker on the matter.
"You can't make forcible contact to the head or the neck area, even if the contact starts below the neck and rises up," NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said on Tuesday's edition of NFL Network's "NFL Total Access."
Blandino further analyzed the play.
"If there's force to that contact, it's a foul," he added. "Watch the initial contact, maybe around the shoulder, but it rides up into the neck area and brings the quarterback down with force."
The 49ersdidn't like the call for obvious reasons. Fans get upset at how the league protects the quarterback position. But this was a clear-cut decision because Brooks made contact with Brees' neck. It wasn't a judgment call like the other controversial moment of the week.
We recapped every Week 11 game on the latest "Around The League Podcast."
