NEW YORK -- Dunta Robinson will pay for his flagrant hit on the Eagles' Jeremy Maclin. He won't be suspended.

The NFL on Monday fined the Falcons cornerback $40,000 for the hit in which he led with his helmet and crashed into Maclin in the third quarter of Atlanta's 35-31 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night. Robinson was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.

The Falcons' Dunta Robinson was fined $40,000 for leading with his helmet during this hit on the Eagles' Jeremy Maclin. Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

The league did not suspend Robinson although it has said hits like the one he put on Maclin could lead to such action. Robinson is a repeat offender, having being fined $25,000 last year for a similar hit on the Eagles' DeSean Jackson that left both players with concussions.

In a letter sent to Robinson, NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks noted that "future offenses will result in an escalation of fines up to and including suspension."

Commissioner Roger Goodell was advised of the decision, and said "we felt this was the appropriate discipline."

Asked if this was an example of the hits the NFL is trying to get out of the game, Goodell said, "There's no such thing as a perfect example. There are individual elements of each hit. We're trying to identify the techniques that will make our game safer."

The league said Robinson violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 (a) (2) of the playing rules, which states: "It is a foul if a player initiates unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture."

The rule notes that players in a defenseless posture include "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."

On the play with 6:12 left in the third quarter, the league said Robinson lowered his head and made forcible contact to the head and neck area of Maclin, who still made the catch. He was slow to leave the field but returned to the game.