One of the lesser storylines coming out of the San Francisco 49ers win over the Detroit Lions was Lions running back LeGarrette Blount’s antics in the fourth quarter. On second down, quarterback Matthew Stafford scrambled out of the pocket and took off down the sideline. 49ers linebacker Elijah Lee met Stafford and knocked him out of bounds and onto his back. Assuming it was a late hit, Bount then clocked Lee from the sidelines resulting in a penalty.
After it’s all said and done, Blount was fined $10,026 for the incident, Lee got nothing.
There was some question on if Lee would get fined for the hit on Stafford, but the hit was legal. Stafford was inbounds and a runner, making him fair game for defenses to attack. The Blount hit, however was not, as it was after the play was blown dead. Despite what the announcing crew may have said to the contrary, the officials got this right.
This isn’t the first time Blount has been involved in an issue. Many may remember the infamous “Duck and Cover” incident from his college days at Oregon where Blount decked an opposing player for Boise State after a 19-8 loss. The incident derailed Blount’s college career.
In any case, this is one of those few situations where the NFL got it right.