Safety Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens has been suspended without pay for one game for repeated violations of the rule prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players.
The suspension was imposed by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks. Reed may not practice this week nor play in the Ravens' game this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. He may not be at the team practice facility or stadium for any other activities during the suspension. He will be reinstated on Monday, Nov. 26.
Reed was penalized for unnecessary roughness in the third quarter of Sunday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers for a hit to the head and neck area of a defenseless receiver, Emmanuel Sanders.
It was Reed's third violation in the past three seasons of the rules protecting defenseless players:
» On September 23, 2012 against the New England Patriots, Reed was penalized for unnecessary roughness and fined $21,000 for striking a defenseless player, wide receiver Deion Branch, in the head and neck area.
» On December 19, 2010 against the New Orleans Saints, Reed was penalized for roughing the passer and fined $10,000 for unnecessarily striking the quarterback, Drew Brees, in the head and neck area.
The 2012 Schedule of Fines, distributed to players as part of the "League Policies for Players" manual, states: "Players who were fined for violations in 2010 or 2011, and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy."
"We cannot tolerate repeated violations of rules, especially rules related to player safety," said NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson. "We will continue to take the strongest possible action to deter these types of violations and protect our players."
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension may be appealed within three business days and an expedited hearing and decision would take place this week in advance of Sunday's game. Appeals are heard and decided by either Art Shell or Ted Cottrell, the officers jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA to decide appeals of on-field player discipline.
Reed is the second player suspended this season for violating rules designed to protect the safety of players. Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Mays was suspended for one game for an illegal hit against a defenseless player, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, in the Broncos' Sept. 23 game against the Texans.