Brandon Meriweather faces suspension for illegal hits
Brandon Meriweather has a well-earned reputation as a head-hunter in the Washington Redskins' secondary. His unwillingness (or inability) to change his playing style will now take him off the field.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the NFL is expected to suspend Meriweather at least one game for repeated uses of his helmet as a weapon, according to a league source. Vice president of operations Merton Hanks will review Meriweather's game tape before deciding how many games Meriweather will sit.
Meriweather was flagged twice for illegal hits in Sunday's 45-41 win over the Chicago Bears. After the game, Brandon Marshall -- the recipient of one of those hits -- railed against Meriweather's playing style, saying the safety should be suspended or kicked out of the game entirely.
"Guys like that really don't understand that there is life after football," Marshall said, via the Chicago Tribune.
A one-game suspension would cost Meriweather his $70,588 game check. The NFL fined Meriweather $42,000 last month for a helmet-to-helmet hit.
"I feel like every hit that I took was a legit hit," he said, via the Washington Post. "I wasn't trying to be dirty. I wasn't trying to hurt nobody. I didn't launch with my head. I used my shoulder like they told me to do. Everything I did was a pointer from them (league officials). ... You've just got to play. There ain't nothing I can do about it. I just go out there and play."
The NFL is about to send its loudest message yet to Meriweather. We'll see if this one gets through.