Falcons, Arthur Smith fined for handling of Week 7 injury report،
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The NFL fined the Atlanta Falcons $75,000 and coach Arthur Smith $25,000 for his handling of the team's injury report before its Week 7 game against Tampa Bay in October.
The league began investigating the Falcons after Bijan Robinson was not listed on the injury report but barely played in the team's 16-13 win over the Buccaneers and told reporters after the game that he was suffering from illness and headaches.
Robinson said that after that game he started “feeling weird” Saturday night, didn't sleep well and woke up Sunday morning “feeling completely out of it.” He went through warmups and was active during the game, but barely played.
“The situation was good and he would be available. To what extent, we would just see how the game went,” Smith said in October. “The way the game played out, [Cordarrelle Patterson] and Tyler [Allgeier] did a good job, but he asked if he could go.
“I think he does a good job, especially in the two minutes and he went out there and how that affected the game, maybe it affected some calls, we'll never know.”
After the game, Robinson said his head was still bothering him. Robinson recorded 11 snaps – but had only one carry, a 3-yard run on the final possession of the game and had no catches or targets. It was one of two games, along with last week's 9-7 loss to Carolina, where Robinson recorded fewer than 10 touches.
Robinson said that by the following Wednesday he started feeling better that Monday and “it was tough, but I'm good now.” He said he had no history of migraines and that they had come on randomly. He said that that week he had always planned to play against the Buccaneers and that in a pregame conversation with Smith, they were “just trying to feel it out.”
He said that on Wednesday he didn't realize how important his usage — or lack thereof — was against the Buccaneers and that he was trying to do everything he could to help the team with his one carry.
“That’s all I’m going to say about it,” Robinson said in October. “Because I know it was a big situation from that game.”
With Robinson very limited against Tampa Bay, Patterson had 10 carries for 56 yards and Allgeier had 21 carries for 59 yards and three catches for 53 yards.
