Vikings RB Aaron Jones adds insult to injury with latest news ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Ravens
Not great news for Aaron Jones coming out of the biggest win of the season.
It hasn’t been the easiest season for Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones, and it got worse on Saturday afternoon. The NFL fined Jones $23,186 for unnecessary roughness: use of the helmet during the first quarter of Sunday’s 27-24 win against the Detroit Lions.
Aaron Jones fined for leading with his helmet vs. Lions
This is a rule that is rarely invoked during the game but is often enforced afterward. The following is the rule verbatim from the NFL’s football operations rule book.
ARTICLE 10. IMPERMISSIBLE USE OF THE HELMET
“It is a foul if a player:
- lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or
- uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck
“These provisions do not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle or block on an opponent.
“Penalty: Loss of 15 yards. If the foul is by the defense, it is also an automatic first down. The player may be disqualified.”
You can see Jones do just that in the video. He intentionally lowers his head to initiate contact with the defender. Now, he does so not with the intent to injure, but rather to gain more yards by going through them. The reason the NFL has this rule isn’t just for the safety of the other player; it’s also to prevent Jones from getting hurt. They don’t want the head used at all in the game, and want the helmet to just be for protection.
You can argue that fining Jones for doing this isn’t a good process because he doesn’t put anyone at risk other than himself. However, putting himself at risk is the reason why the fine is there in the first place. The NFL wants to keep the players safe.
This is the third fine of Jones’ career, not including his two-game suspension in 2018.
- 10/11/2019: $10,527 for taunting
- 11/1/2024: $11,817 for a low block
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