Antrel Rolle fined $7,500 for hit on Mark Clayton

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle was fined $7,500 for his illegal hit on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton, a blow that caused a concussion and neck injury.

Clayton had said that he didn't think Rolle should be fined.

However, hits on defenseless receivers are a point of increased emphasis for officials this season.

Rolle spoke with Clayton on Sunday after being flagged for a personal foul where he was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver, one of NFL officials' renewed points of emphasis.

"That's just football," said Clayton, who received an apologetic phone call from Rolle. "Things like that happen. I'm fine."

Rolle told Clayton that the collision took a toll on him, too. "He said, ‘Man, I kind of knocked myself out a little bit,'" Clayton said. "He asked if I was OK, and I asked if he was OK."

Other than a stiff neck, Clayton said his symptoms are subsiding. He sat out of the Ravens' preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams, but is expected back for the first game against the New York Jets. 

"I was just talking to myself, I was saying, ‘Man, I can't believe he hit me like that,' because I saw him coming," Clayton said. "I was like, ‘Dang, he's fittin' to hit me,' and then I was like, ‘Dang, he hit me.' After that, I was like, ‘Yeah, take your time getting up because when you get up, there'll be a rush to the head."

Clayton doesn't expect this to be a long-term injury.

"No, not at all," he said. "It's good."

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