Here’s How Jonathan Jones Avoided Fine For Hit On Josh Allen

The NFL won’t suspend Jonathan Jones for his helmet on Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. The league won’t fine him either.

The defensive back earned a penalty for unnecessary roughness. He couldn’t do much about the hit, and head coach Bill Belichick supported him.

“When there really isn’t anything you can tell him to do differently, then I think you don’t tell him anything,” Belichick said in a conference call Monday morning. “I mean, Allen’s a big runner. He’s a strong guy. He’s hard to tackle. He certainly broke several tackles against us. Jon turned when he hit him. He didn’t lead with his head. He didn’t have that posture.”

So, what saved Jones? According to Ian Rapoport, Jones “turned his shoulder to stop the runner.”

“DB Jonathan Jones, whose hit landed #Bills QB Josh Allen in the concussion protocol, was not fined, source said. It was determined Jones turned his shoulder to stop the runner (who is not defenseless), while the runner is being tackled, falling forward and down.”

According to NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Al Riveron, there was no need ro remove Johnson fom the game.

“Well, we looked at it and in this situation, we didn’t feel that that contact rose to the level of an ejection,” Riveron told Bills pools reporter Vic Carucci. “The player (Allen) actually turns. Obviously, there is helmet contact, but we have standards for an ejection, and this did not rise to that standard; therefore, we did not eject him. There was a foul called and obviously the penalty stood, but we did not feel this contact rose to that level.”

Belichick has a few good reasons to defend Jones with one of them being his talent.“Jon’s a really good football player,” the head coach Bill Belichick said of Jones last September. “He has a big role for us in our substituted defenses against multiple receivers. He does a great job in the kicking game as well, as he always has. That’s where he kind of made his mark, got started, and that’s led to a lot more opportunities for defensive playtime. He’s taken advantage of those. He’s done a really good job for us.”