**UPDATED on Dec. 15 at 3:15pm CST: According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL has fined Ezekiel Elliott an additional $10,026 for a low block against the Eagles, bringing his total fines for Week 14 to $36,765.**
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Ezekiel Elliott is being forced to pay up yet again.
Less than two weeks after being fined $13,369 for what the NFL deemed as unsportsmanlike conduct, when the Dallas Cowboys’ running back donated $21 to the Salvation Army kettle at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving, the league is now going after him for a play that took place in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Late in what would end up being a key victory for the Cowboys, Elliott took the ball up the right sideline and braced for impact when defensive back Corey Graham looked to tackle him and potentially jar the ball loose. That involved Elliott lowering his helmet, and he was flagged at the time for it.
Now, the NFL is hitting him with a $26,739 fine for the move, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.
The new rule has been a headline topic of discussion coming into the 2018 season and while several defensive players have been penalized, Elliott is the first offensive player to fall victim to it. For his part, as will usually be the case for most ball carriers who lower their helmet, the All-Pro says he did it for protection — versus the goal of using his helmet as a weapon.
“When you’re on that sideline, man, I got to protect myself,” Elliott said, via The Dallas Morning News. “If a guy is going low, I got to go low, too. The rule is for the betterment of the game, the rule is for our safety. If there was illegal helmet-to-helmet contact, that’s something I need to go look at and work on. That’s not OK. It’s a tough play.”
Elliott will reportedly appeal this fine as well.
At this point, the former rushing champ is no stranger to being used as an example by the league, given the controversial events of the 2017 season. The precedent now set with by the penalty in Week 14 and subsequent fine will resonate throughout the NFL going forward, as wide receivers, tight ends and running backs must all be on guard for a potential flag — even if their intent is to lower their head to protect their neck and shoulders. It’s a risky move either way, as Elliott found out, having been evaluated immediately after the hit. He temporarily lost feeling in one of his arms from a minor stinger, but returned to the game and hasn’t shown any ill effects since.
The next time he’s penalized for it, he’ll face a much more substantial fine, because league rules would demand he fork over $53,482 for another occurrence.
Elliott is the second Cowboys’ player forced to hand over a check for the infraction in 2018, with linebacker Jaylon Smith fined for the helmet-to-helmet blow placed on Alvin Kamara in Week 13.
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