As soon as he saw a video replay of Bernard Pollard’s hit on Jaguars running back Deji Karim, ESPN commentator Jon Gruden disagreed with the call.



“No,” Gruden said, in response to the flag for a unnecessary roughness on a helmet-to-helmet hit.







“That’s football man. That’s a shoulder lead, that’s a hot throw and Pollard plays it perfectly and he runs right through the receiver. I don’t blame the Ravens for being upset.”

Apparently the NFL reviewed the same play and thought differently.

According to reports, Pollard has been fined $10,000 for hitting a defenseless receiver in the head/neck area.

The top of Pollard’s helmet looks to graze Karim’s facemask, but the safety’s face was up and he was clearly leading with a shoulder, which struck Karim below in his pads.

“Bernard Pollard was fined $10,000 for unnecessary roughness,” AFC spokesman Corry Rush wrote in an e-mail to the Carroll County Times. “Specifically, on a pass play, he struck a defenseless player in the head and neck area.”

Earlier this week, Pollard said he didn’t expect to get fined. He will likely appeal it.

Pollard said he will hit the same way this Sunday against Arizona. But the NFL’s decision begs the question of where players are allowed to hit.

“When you tell a guy don’t hit in the chest … we know you can’t hit in the head, but don’t hit in the chest either,” Pollard said. “So now what everybody’s going to start doing is going at people’s knees, because you’ve got to bring them down some way, somehow.”

Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo seems to be getting justice, however. He was walking around the locker room with a big smile on his face.

Ayanbadejo was informed by the NFL that he shouldn’t have been ejected for his open-handed hit on Jaguars guard Guy Whimper. As of this afternoon, he hadn’t been informed of any fine either.

The veteran was expecting a large, automatic fine. Instead, Ayanbadejo said the league is going after Whimper, who struck the linebacker first.