Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather continues to cause helmet-to-helmet hits. And he continues to get suspended for it.
The NFL announced that Meriweather has been suspended two games for his hit on Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith during last Saturday's 23-17 preseason loss against Baltimore. A noted headhunter, Meriweather was also suspended two games last season for illegal hits against the Chicago Bears. That suspension was reduced to one game upon appeal.
This time, Meriweather wasn't so lucky. An NFL spokesperson announced Saturday that appeals officer Ted Cottrell upheld the safety's suspension.
Meriweather has been called for six separate violations of unnecessary roughness rules for hits on defenseless players and the impermissible use of the helmet.
We were surprised the Redskins re-signed Meriweather because he's unreliable on the field, and too often unavailable because of injury or suspension. The Redskins' safety position is a mess, with backup Phillip Thomas requiring an MRI on his surgically repaired foot after re-injuring it on Saturday. Second-year pro Bacarri Rambo is likely next in line to start.
Meriweather, an eight-year veteran, sounded like he knew this suspension was coming.
"I'll continue to work on my game, I'm going to continue to try to get lower, and do the things they ask me to do," Meriweather said over the weekend, via The Washington Post.
If nothing else, Meriweather's suspension is well timed based on Washington's schedule. They open against Houston and Jacksonville, two offenses that don't figure to be too explosive.
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