There's been plenty of discussion regarding a New Orleans Saints rookie since Sunday. In Week 3, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith took a hard hit from Saints defensive lineman Khristian Boyd after a catch.
Smith suffered a concussion on the scary hit. With that outcome, there's been a discussion around Boyd's hit. Some fans believe it was a "dirty" hit.
Former Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson did, too.
"Man, that's the dirtiest s--t I ever saw in football, bro... Y'all obviously saw forward progression was stopped. For them to take a cheap shot on one of our key players, it goes to show what type of team that is. They're front-runners."
Check out Boyd's hit on Smith below.
Smith is bring dragged backwards by defenders before sustaining the blow from Boyd, but the referees did not whistle the play dead before he arrived.
The NFL made their thoughts clear on the controversy on Wednesday afternoon.
NFL fines Saints' Khristian Boyd for hit on Eagles' Devonta Smith
Boyd has been fined $4,600 for his hit on Smith, according to Matthew Paras. He was not penalized for the hit during the game.
Boyd is a first-year player who is getting more snaps with Khalen Saunders missing time due to injury. He has no history of making dirty hits in the pros or in college. Saunders is expected to return this week for New Orleans' matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown thought it was a questionable hit by Boyd, too.
His brother and Saints WR, Equanimeous St. Brown, backed his teammate and said it was not dirty.
Eagles' Darius Slay calls out Saints
Slay analyzed the play and did not agree with the hit from Boyd. He put some blame on the referees as well.
There are plenty of opinions swirling around Boyd and this hit on Smith. In actuality, it was most likely a young player trying to make a play during his limited time on the field. If he could spark a momentum turn, he wanted to do so in a pivotal time of the game.
In fact, Boyd did exactly that. When he collided with Smith, the Eagles wideout fumbled the ball.
The refs blew the play dead just before the ball was clearly free, though, because Smith's helmet came off.
You could argue that it should have been a live ball due to the hit by the rookie. That wasn't the outcome, though.
Regardless, multiple Eagles players and plenty of NFL fans will agree with the NFL's choice to take some money out of Boyd's pockets.
Boyd also sent out a clear message via social media on the hit. He wants Smith to get well soon. The rookie says that he was just trying to make a play on the ball.
"I would never deliberately try to give someone a serious injury. Just tried to make a play on the ball
Get well 6" -- Boyd via Instagram
It will be interesting to see Boyd's role once Saunders return to the DL lineup for New Orleans. He's clearly a young player who is giving it his all for his team.
Related: Saints make notable roster move to fill the void of former Pro Bowler ahead of matchup with Falcons
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