The good news for Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson is he won’t be suspended for his hit on Jeremy Maclin in Sunday night’s game. Instead, he’ll be fined for it.

The NFL just announced that Robinson has been fined $40,000 for a violation of player safety rules.

The league cited the following rule:

“It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture.’’

“(a) Players in a defenseless posture are…(2) A receiver attempting to catch a pass; or who has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a runner.”

In the release announcing the fine, the league also said, although Maclin completed the catch, he was still a defenseless player under the rule because he did not have time to protect himself and had not clearly become a runner.

The league also said Robinson is now a repeat offender. He was fined $25,000 last season for a hit on Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson. The fine initially was $50,000, but later was cut in half.

The league said it sent Robinson a letter saying future offenses will result in escalated fines and a possible suspension.