Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso will not be suspended after his vicious illegal hit to the head of quarterback Joe Flacco in Thursday night's 40-0 Ravens win.
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said today that the play was reviewed and there won't be any suspensions from Week 8. A fine is still possible.
Alonso clobbered Flacco with his shoulder after the quarterback was already on the ground in a defenseless feet-first slide. The hit left Flacco with a concussion that knocked him out of the game and a lacerated ear that required stitches.
It's not the first time Alonso had such a hit. He also went low on a hit to former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer in 2013.
"It was a bang-bang play," Alonso said after the game. "I thought he was going to slide. And then, I had to hit him because he slid too late. It was bang-bang. I don't know what else I could have done."
Alonso reportedly texted Flacco the next day to apologize for the hit.
On Monday, Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens aren't focused on the league's discipline of Alonso. Despite the hit, Flacco has zero concussion symptoms Monday and a "good chance" of playing in Tennessee Sunday.
"[A suspension] is really not a concern of ours right now in all frankness," Harbaugh said Monday. "It is not going to impact our game against the Titans."
