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Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFL has fined the Atlanta Falcons $75,000 and coach Arthur Smith $25,000 for its 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 he had been suffering from an illness and headaches.
Smith said Friday “it wasn’t some contentious battle” with the league and that each side understood the other’s point of view on the matter.
“There’s an inquiry and usually you have to respond with a letter. It wasn’t like a court case, it wasn’t a lot of time spent,” Smith said. “Here is how we interpreted it. Here was our intent. Nothing was done to try to game anything like that and I understood their point of view.
“So lesson learned there.”
Smith said they were transparent with the league about their process and what they did – including that Robinson did play and that there was a different usage rate for him against Tampa Bay.
Robinson said after that game he began “feeling weird” on Saturday night, didn’t sleep well and woke up Sunday morning “feeling completely out of it.” He went through warmups and was active for the game, but barely played.
“Situation was good that he’d be available. How much, we’d just see how the game went,” Smith said in October. “The way the game went, [Cordarrelle Patterson] and Tyler [Allgeier] did a nice job, but he asked if he could go.
“I think he does a good job, especially in the two-minute stuff and he went out there and how it affected the game, maybe it affected some calls, we’ll never know.”
After the game, Robinson said his head was still bothering him. Robinson logged 11 snaps — but only had one carry, a 3-yard run on the game’s final possession and had no catches and no targets. It was one of two games, along with last week’s 9-7 loss against Carolina, where Robinson logged less than 10 touches.
Robinson said the following Wednesday he began feeling better that Monday and “that it was tough, but I’m all good now.” He said he doesn’t have a history of migraine headaches and that it popped up randomly. He said that week he always planned on playing against the Buccaneers and in a pregame conversation with Smith, they were “just trying to feel it out.”
He said that Wednesday he didn’t realize how big of a deal his usage — or lack thereof — was against the Buccaneers and that he was trying to do whatever he could to help the team with his one carry.
“That’s all I’m going to say on that,” Robinson said in October. “Because I know it was a big situation from that game.”
Robinson said Friday in Atlanta’s locker room, when told of the fine levied against the franchise and Smith, that he didn’t want to get involved.
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.
