FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NFL-33 8/13/97

NFL FINES ROMANOWSKI $20,000 FOR ILLEGAL HIT ON COLLINS

Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski was notified today that he has been fined $20,000 for his illegal hit on Carolina Panthers quarterback Kerry Collins in a preseason game on August 9.

The fine was issued by NFL Director of Football Development Gene Washington.

Romanowski was fined for ramming Collins in the neck, chin and face area with his helmet in a manner that has been a point of emphasis by officials and prohibited since the beginning of the 1995 season.

At the NFL’s annual meeting in 1995, the Competition Committee emphasized that such contact with the quarterback was prohibited, and all players were clearly advised of the rules during 1995 training camps. Specifically, players were told that when a quarterback is in the pocket in a virtually defenseless position, a defensive player must not use his facemask or any other part of his helmet to punish the passer. The rule includes hits where the initial contact is with another part of the passer’s body but ultimately results in contact with the passer’s head, neck or face by a defender’s helmet.

In another play occurring in last weekend’s preseason games, it was determined that no rules violation occurred when New York Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead hit Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell.

On the play, Armstead rushed the passer, was blocked to the ground by a Jaguars player, and ended up hitting Brunell’s knees in a manner that did not involve any improper tactic. A rushing defender who has an unrestricted path to the passer from any direction is prohibited from forcibly hitting the passer in the knee area or below. On this play, however, the action was legal since Armstead’s path to the quarterback was restricted by an opposing player and he had been blocked to the ground.

Both the Collins and Brunell plays involved pass-rushing situations that are reviewed in-depth each offseason by the NFL Competition Committee and in officiating presentations to all NFL players in training camps.