In what should bring closure to what was an ugly episode during the Atlanta Falcons-Carolina Panthers game last week, Len Pasquarelli of ESPN reports that Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall will not be suspended but will be levied what is described as a “substantial” fine by the club for his actions during the Falcons-Panthers game last Sunday.
Sources close to the situation say that the fine will be less than an entire gamecheck, but will be in the low-100K range. The decision on the fine came after deliberation by Falcons officials, the Management Council and a group of veteran Falcons players. It is assumed that a suspension was discussed in these meetings with the parties involved. One may assume that the Falcons, in order to not be perceived as being hard-cases, wanted to penalize Hall enough to send a message that had teeth to it, but not strident enough for the penalty to be overturned by an arbitrator.
The episode started with the Falcons leading the Panthers 17-10; at that time, Hall was penalized three times for defensive pass intereference (37 yards), a personal foul penalty (15 yards) and a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. All told, the penalties totalled 67 yards. Shortly thereafter, Hall got into a heated altercation with both Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino and assistant coach Joe Whitt, Jr.
Deangelo’s past fall outs, such as last season’s demise and poor play. I used to believe most defenses would rather not play him but it looks to me like he’s just an average corner back.
The Texans should teach him a lesson.