Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed avoided a one-game suspension for late hits
after an appeal. He instead will be fined $50,000. Reed was suspended for one game without pay on Monday by NFL vice president
of football operations Merton Hanks for his third violation in three seasons of
the rule prohibiting helmet-to-helmet hits against defenseless players. The
third violation occurred in Sunday night's game at Pittsburgh: Reed's hit to the
head of receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Reed appealed the ruling in phone session Tuesday morning with NFL hearing
officer Ted Cottrell. The NFL Players Association represented Reed, who also
participated. Hours later, Cottrell reduced the penalty. In a letter to Reed, Cottrell wrote: ''I have determined that your actions
were egregious and warrant significant discipline. However, I do not believe
that your actions were so egregious as to subject you to a one-game suspension
without pay. Player safety is the league's primary concern in the formation of
playing rules and all players are expected to adhere to those rules or face
disciplinary action. I hope in the future you will focus on ensuring that your
play conforms to the rules.'' Reed will be in uniform for Sunday's game in San Diego. ''The league has an appeal process to review situations like this, and Ed had
his opportunity to answer questions about his play,'' Ravens general manager
Ozzie Newsome said in a statement. ''I think John (Harbaugh) and his coaches do
an excellent job of teaching the right, safe and legal way to play football, and
we believe Ed clearly tries to play within the rules on every down.''
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