NFL confirms no fine for Mark Barron

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 2, 2015, 3:39 PM EDT
AP

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t think the hit he took from Rams safety Mark Barron on Sunday was dirty. The NFL agreed.

The league office has confirmed that Barron will not be fined for the hit on Roethlisberger.

The NFL adopted rules protecting quarterbacks from getting hit in the knee after injuries suffered by Carson Palmer and Tom Brady. But Palmer and Brady had already thrown their passes when they were hit and injured their knees. Roethlisberger still had the ball when Barron hit him.

Maybe next offseason the NFL will expand the rules once again, to provide further protection to quarterbacks’ knees. But right now, the league office is OK with Barron’s hit on Roethlisberger.

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42 responses to “NFL confirms no fine for Mark Barron”

  3. Brady wears a brace on that plant foot side knee as a safety precaution.
    Maybe all QBs should consider doing that.
    Better equipment instead of worse rules.

  7. “No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction. ”

    nothing about before or after the pass. WTF.

    Can’t imagine the outrage if it was Brady.

  8. The fifth provision of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 12 (roughing the passer) says that: “A rushing defender is prohibited from forcibly hitting in the knee area or below a passer who has one or both feet on the ground, even if the initial contact is above the knee. It is not a foul if the defender is blocked (or fouled) into the passer and has no opportunity to avoid him.”

    I hear they asked Hochuli and he said Ben wasn’t old enough..

  9. 6superbowls says:
    Oct 2, 2015 3:46 PM
    NFL doesn’t even know how to enforce it’s own rules…. The Shield is broken.

    —–

    The Shield has been broken for a long time. We’re just finally starting to realize it.

  12. Ben was in the pocket, Barron was on the ground and went after Ben’s knee on his own power. Should have been a penalty and should have been a fine.

  13. Ben got a MCL sprain at the hands of Mark Barron. Last year Carson Palmer tore his ACL trying to avoid a sack from Mark Barron. Bottom line…you don’t want to be a QB with Mark Barron coming at you.

  14. It was a clean play ,I guarantee if that was Tommy girl getting hit like that the whole world would want a fine just saying Brady is a girl cheater and a liar

  15. It’s sad. Even after reviewing the play, the NFL doesn’t even know how to enforce it’s own rules
    which were designed to protect QB’s from such
    hits, and possible injuries.

    If the NFL can’t protect the QBs, who are often
    the marquee names of the NFL, what good is it
    to have such rules in the first place?

    With so many injuries to starting QBs this year,
    one would think they’d be more concerned.
    Barron’s hit wasn’t malicious, but it was
    definitely against the rules. Trying to parce out
    whether the pass was thrown or not, is complete
    nonsense.

  16. elmobad says:
    Oct 2, 2015 4:07 PM
    “No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction. ”

    nothing about before or after the pass. WTF.

    Can’t imagine the outrage if it was Brady.
    ——————————–
    Out of context! You should work for Wells! That statement is in the subsection on Protection of the Passer. If a QB is deemed to be scrambling he is not in a recognized passer and can be tackled as a runner (i.e. the QB passer-protection rules you quote from don’t apply) unless he stops scrambling and clearly plants a foot to begin an obvious classic passing attempt motion (i.e. a pose that a chasing opponent should be able to recognize as such and have time to react accordingly in the eyes of the ref). But if a bunch of scrambling QBs continue to go down, they’ll probably ramp-up QB protection yet more in the off-season.

  19. PS – at the moment he was hit Ben was not in a passing pose, he was just beginning to scramble forwards. I don’t think Barron knew either way but its not clear that he intentionally dove at Ben’s knees, and Ben wasn’t in a pass pose at the time – and Ben thought the hit was clean, end of.

  21. I actually thought the “Brady rule” might be called on that. I see parts of the rule have been quoted except for the “Brady rule” part they added about the defender being on the ground and lunging at the QBs knees….That’s what happened here…Oh well, I’ve still yet to see that called in a game

  22. If the shield was broken, that would mean we don’t watch. But we do because we love the NFL. We even get on this website because we love the product rep’ed by the shield.

  23. I did not watch that game and only saw the replay a couple of times.

    Looked to me like the guy stumbled and his momentum carried him forwards, at which point he instinctively grabbed at Ben’s legs.

    I do not think it was an intentionally dirty play, but it is one that probably should have been flagged because it did meet the standards the rule seems to lay out.

  24. “f the shield was broken, that would mean we don’t watch. But we do because we love the NFL.”

    I have stopped watching every game but the Patriots. Sometimes when I am surfing by other games I will stop for a moment to see what the score is, but the NFL has by and large someone who used to follow the NFL like it was my religion. I used to watch every game possible but after the last few years of Goodell and cronies in action I am fast finding many other ways to entertain myself at this time of year instead of football.

  25. “harrisonhits2 says:
    Oct 2, 2015 5:30 PM
    “f the shield was broken, that would mean we don’t watch. But we do because we love the NFL.”

    I have stopped watching every game but the Patriots. Sometimes when I am surfing by other games I will stop for a moment to see what the score is, but the NFL has by and large someone who used to follow the NFL like it was my religion. I used to watch every game possible but after the last few years of Goodell and cronies in action I am fast finding many other ways to entertain myself at this time of year instead of football.”

    Welp, football is still awesome, you’re just an obsessed weirdo it would seem.

  26. I have stopped watching every game but the Patriots. Sometimes when I am surfing by other games I will stop for a moment to see what the score is, but the NFL has by and large someone who used to follow the NFL like it was my religion. I used to watch every game possible but after the last few years of Goodell and cronies in action I am fast finding many other ways to entertain myself at this time of year instead of football.

    We all know your new entertainment is being the annoying troll commenting on PFT trying to tie life itself to the Pat’s. Do us a favor take up basket weaving with rose bushes. It wasn’t a dirty play unless it is Shay Brady crying for a flag.
    As to a Raven troll calling Ben a wimp…..I guess you forgot about his broken nose, and of course a non Brady call, delivered by that dirty Raven player…Ngata.

  28. elmobad says;
    Can’t imagine the outrage if it was Brady.

    Yes, we all know exactly what that would be like.

  29. Why is Ben being such a wimp about all of this? It’s not like he is being charged with sexual assault. AGAIN. Cry me a river.

    Steelers had it coming, a la Kimo.

  30. Never have I seen such a non-story beaten to death. There was never any consideration of fine or suspension. Baron simply tackled an opposing qb WHO HAD THE BALL. That isn’t illegal, not anywhere close to any boarder in such regard, it would have been illegal in the sport of ‘flag football’, not tackle football. This play that no one else scrutinizes over was simply a “TACKLE” of a an opposing player who was actually in play.

  31. To clarify the last post, “in play” means that the QB was easily deemed to be moving forward, as opposed to statuesque passing. The defender is under no obligation to let the opposition simply run until he gets to the end zone if he has a chance to tackle the player by anything but the face mask.

  32. Why is this an issue? Ben said the hit was legal! No complaining…He sticks up for Brady too! Yet all of the delusional Bengals fans from 2005 and Ravens trolls who have nothing better to do with their lives, and dudes whose girlfriends Roethlisberger probably banged in Ohio all have to whine and cry and blame it on Karma…Don’t hate, Congratulate!

  33. All you guys crying about Brady – He was not involved in the game, nor in the stadium, nor was he even in the city that night. Yet he consumes your thoughts. Even an article that has noting to do with Brady he is your first thought. He owns you. You are his beeeeyatches. He is so far in your heads he will be your daddy forever. Kev095 even cleans his pool. The more you cry about him the more you prove this is true. Every retort to this truth just proves how sucked in you are. Funny as hell you guys.

    Get well soon Ben and best wishes to the Steelers to hang in there. Patriots nation wants to see you full strength in the playoffs. A full strength Steelers team facing a full strength Patriots team would be some seriously exciting football. And this is after all, about football.

  34. The Brady rule is when a player gets knocked down and then lunges to hit without first getting back up. Barron was still on his way down so this isn’t the Brady rule. And Roethlisberger wasn’t passing so not the Palmer rule for a low hit on the passer either.

    You’d think that know-it-all Steeler fans would know it all but I guess not.

  36. “Get well soon Ben and best wishes to the Steelers to hang in there. Patriots nation wants to see you full strength in the playoffs. A full strength Steelers team facing a full strength Patriots team would be some seriously exciting football. And this is after all, about football.” -greenlargo

    THAT is exactly what I miss and what we’re talking about. take the goal line stand first game Pat’s vs Steelers. Belicheck shifts his D-line to the left (legal) while calling out the cadence (illegal) Roar of the crowd, confusion, we jump offside, 5yards.. If it would have been called properly, would have cost the Pat’s inches.. Brilliant? Belicheck’s a genius? maybe.
    I personally prefer strength vs strength and let the “trickery” be limited to the call not stretching the rules.

  37. and you other idiots.. he was in the pocket, he got hit below the knee, should have been a flag AND a fine. not saying it was dirty, but rules are meant to be applied equally.

    meanwhile Von Miller gets 11.5K for pelvic thrusts.

    good job NFL!

  38. Nofoolnodrool says:
    Oct 2, 2015 6:24 PM
    I have stopped watching every game but the Patriots. Sometimes when I am surfing by other games I will stop for a moment to see what the score is, but the NFL has by and large someone who used to follow the NFL like it was my religion. I used to watch every game possible but after the last few years of Goodell and cronies in action I am fast finding many other ways to entertain myself at this time of year instead of football.

    We all know your new entertainment is being the annoying troll commenting on PFT trying to tie life itself to the Pat’s. Do us a favor take up basket weaving with rose bushes. It wasn’t a dirty play unless it is Shay Brady crying for a flag.
    As to a Raven troll calling Ben a wimp…..I guess you forgot about his broken nose, and of course a non Brady call, delivered by that dirty Raven player…Ngata.

    —

    Ok, wait, seriously? You’re calling someone a troll? Dude, you rag on every topic on every team every day!

  39. elmobad says:
    Oct 2, 2015 4:07 PM
    “No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction. ”

    nothing about before or after the pass. WTF.

    Can’t imagine the outrage if it was Brady.
    —

    Hello, Mc Fly, that WAS Brady in 2008 and there WAS NO FLAG!

    BTW, in the words of TB12, maybe you should read the rule book. All, not just part of a paragraph that suits our narrative.

  40. elmobad says:
    Oct 3, 2015 11:18 AM
    “Get well soon Ben and best wishes to the Steelers to hang in there. Patriots nation wants to see you full strength in the playoffs. A full strength Steelers team facing a full strength Patriots team would be some seriously exciting football. And this is after all, about football.” -greenlargo

    THAT is exactly what I miss and what we’re talking about. take the goal line stand first game Pat’s vs Steelers. Belicheck shifts his D-line to the left (legal) while calling out the cadence (illegal) Roar of the crowd, confusion, we jump offside, 5yards.. If it would have been called properly, would have cost the Pat’s inches.. Brilliant? Belicheck’s a genius? maybe.
    I personally prefer strength vs strength and let the “trickery” be limited to the call not stretching the rules.

    –
    Strenght vs strength? Egad, where to begin,

    So let’s never run any misdirection plays, no play action passing, no delay handoffs. Just hand off to the fullback every time.

    Dude, it’s not 1940 anymore. “trick” plays are part of every team’s playbook. And there’s no such thing as “stretching” the rules. That’s a lame excuse used by those who didn’t do their homework.

  42. crybaby.. did you not see
    “and let the “trickery” be limited to the call not stretching the rules.”

    youknowiknowitall.. called their own “move” ?
    that is ILLEGAL. they imitated the offensive cadence which combined with the shift caused the entire left side of the O line to jump..

    and as i said before, is this genius? maybe.. it worked.. but “I” hate it..

    deflategate wasn’t about deflated footballs. it was about Brady rubbing the rulebook in Harbaugh’s face about the eligible/ineligible receiver fiasco. another one of Belicheck’s gems.

    this is why I hate the patriots. I’m not jealous, I’ve watched my team win and lose for 45years. I feel the Patriots cross certain boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed and feel cheated/spygate out of a few more wins.

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