Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Nick Perry confirmed Wednesday that the NFL fined him $15,000 for his illegal hit on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck during Sunday's 30-27 loss.
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With the Packers holding a 14-0 second-quarter lead, Perry came untouched off the right edge and hit Luck in the chest, immediately dropping the rookie QB to the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium. The play immediately drew a flag for unnecessary roughness, negating a fumble that would have given the Packers the ball inside the Colts' 20-yard line.
"(The NFL said) I led with the crown of my head. For that, I got fined," Perry said, via ESPN Milwaukee. "I've got to be more focused on making a play without the head."
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said during his weekly radio show that the ferocity of Perry's hit on Luck made the play look worse than it actually was.
"When I saw it live, it looked like it was a clean hit," Rodgers said. "I will tell you in my opinion, and take it for what it is: I think the flag was thrown because of the way it looked. When (Luck) got hit, his head snapped back so hard, I think it looked worse than it actually was. It was Nick Perry who weighs 270 pounds with a hit that was in the (allowed) zone, and I don't think if you look at the replay was with the crown of his helmet.
"It basically just looked bad because he got a free run of about six yards of space and (Luck's) head whipped back pretty hard. That's why I think the penalty was thrown.
Perry, who has 18 tackles and two sacks this season, said he plans to appeal the fine.
