In Saturday's preseason game between the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, Broncos rookie safety Rahim Moore delivered a crushing hit on Bills wide receiver Donald Jones. Was it a clean hit or did Moore deserve an ejection? Here's the video:
Jones is definitely in a defenseless position when Moore delivers the hit, but he doesn't lead with his helmet. Moore sends his shoulder into Jones before there is helmet-to-helmet contract. Jones then falls to the ground and has his head violently hit the ground.
It certainly is a horrible sight to see Jones on the ground unable to move, but the hit itself wasn't intentional. It was certainly a dangerous play by Moore, who will likely receive a fine from the NFL for it. Jones, meanwhile, will certainly miss a few days of practice, if not the next game.
Here are a couple of comments from Moore on the matter (via the Denver Post):
"I mean no harm. But you know what? It's football."
"I don't want to hurt anybody to where it jeopardizes his season or his career," Moore said. "If it was the wrong thing to do, I apologize."
Moore's right. It's football and hits like this one happen. Fine the player and move on, but it will be hard to eliminate plays like that.