Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith received the worst possible holiday gift from the NFL, as he was fined on Friday morning.
Smith made headlines during the Falcons’ Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his curious usage of rookie running back Bijan Robinson, who received zero touches in the first half, prompting fans to wonder what was going on. When asked about Robinson during a halftime interview, Smith said he was “just not feeling all that great.”
Robinson later told the media that he had a headache the Saturday before the game and that he woke up “feeling out of it,” but Atlanta failed to disclose such information on their injury report.
The league conducted an inquiry into the situation and on Friday announced a $75,000 fine for the Falcons and a $25,000 fine for Smith for violating the NFL's Injury Report Policy, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Source: The #Falcons have been fined $75,000 and head coach Arthur Smith $25,000 for violating the NFL Injury Report Policy prior to the club’s Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2023
Smith had initially downplayed the NFL investigation into the Falcons’ handling of their injury report, but he took a different tone on Friday when asked about the league’s ruling.
Smith said that he understood the NFL’s position and that they understood his point of view, chalking it up as a lesson learned, according to the team's website.
One can bet that the Falcons—and other teams—are going to ensure they are as thorough as possible when reporting injuries moving forward.
