Copyright ESPN
Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu was suspended without pay for one game after repeated violations of the rule against hip-drop tackles. Luvu will appeal the ruling, a source said. If he loses, it could cost him more than half a million dollars. The NFL ruled that Luvu violated the policy again in Sunday night's 38-14 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks while making a tackle in the first quarter on wide receiver Jackson Smith-Njigba. It was Luvu's third time being fined for a hip-drop tackle, leading him to become the first player suspended under this rule. He was fined for violating the policy after Weeks 4 and 8. If the suspension holds then he would forfeit a game check worth $508,333. He would also miss Washington's game against Detroit on Sunday, but could return the following week when the Commanders play Miami in Madrid. Luvu was fined $23,186 for his Week 4 violation and another $46,372 after Week 8. According to a press release from the NFL, Luvu was cited for violating a rule intended to "protect the health and safety of players." The rule states that it's a violation if a player uses a technique to tackle a player in which he "grabs the runner with one or both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and unweights himself by swiveling or dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and/or trapping the runner's leg(s) at or below the knee." If Luvu doesn't play, it would be yet another blow to the Commanders, who have lost four consecutive games -- including the last three by a combined 67 points.
