One of the dumbest penalties of the NFL season was committed on Monday night by Giants defensive end Damontre Moore, who hit Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford long after Bradford had thrown an incomplete pass on third down. The penalty was incredibly costly for the Giants, as the Eagles marched down the field for a touchdown after the penalty and turned a game they had been losing into a game they dominated the rest of the way.
The penalty has also been costly for Moore, who was fined $20,000 for the hit, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. That’s a heftier fine than players usually get for late hits and roughing the passer, but the NFL apparently thought Moore’s hit was late enough to warrant it.
This is at least the third time in Moore’s three-year career that he has been fined for a late hit.
Moore admitted after the game that his penalty showed a “poor football IQ.” The NFL hopes taking money out of his pocket is enough incentive for Moore to learn when not to hit a quarterback.