The ruling comes 18 days after the NFL penalized Smith for what a league source told ESPN’s Jenna Laine was a hip-drop tackle, which resulted in Godwin suffering a dislocated left ankle that ended his season.
According to league rules, a hip-drop tackle must involve three criteria: the tackler grabs the ball carrier with both hands or wraps them with both arms; weight is removed by twisting and dropping the hips and/or lower body; and then lands and catches the opponent’s leg(s) at or below the knee.
Smith was not penalized after making a tackle on Godwin near the end of the Ravens’ 41-31 win at Tampa Bay on Oct. 21. With a minute left, Godwin caught a pass over the middle and shook off a tackle before being pulled. down by Smith. Godwin, who led the NFL with 50 receptions at the time, was carted off the field.
In March, NFL clubs voted unanimously to ban hip-drop tackles. The league reviewed 20,000 tackles from 2022-23 and determined that hip-drop tackles cause lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles.
Before being fined, Smith never acknowledged whether his tackle was a hip-drop tackle.
“You never want to see anyone go down with any type of injury, but we played a very physical game and it demands a lot,” Smith said on Oct. 24. “The bullets fly pretty fast, but I never get into any games.” Injuring any player, I want every player to come home safe to their family, maybe a little sore, but other than that, I definitely want them to come home to their family safe.”
This is the second time Smith has won an appeal. In Week 1, Smith was fined $16,833 for a horse collar tackle in Kansas City. But that fine was also later annulled.
Smith, 27, is a two-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker and ranks fourth in the NFL with 97 tackles.
