Chargers' Bradley Bozeman escapes fine after dirty hit on Justin Herbert

Chris Roling | Nov 3, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers were part of the NFL’s dirtiest play in Week 8, with star quarterback Justin Herbert on the receiving end of the hit.

When official NFL fine news went out this weekend, Chargers lineman Bradley Bozeman, at least, avoided getting fined by the NFL. But the culprit of the whole ordeal—Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd—only received a fine letter of $11,817.

“Only,” because the ankle-twisting play was bad enough for Bozeman to get down and dirty and risk getting himself fined or suspended too. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh wasn’t all that happy about it, either, with plenty of fans and media calling for a suspension.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen fought back publicly against the idea Shepherd made a dirty play, but he seems to be the lone voice going in the other direction on this one.

In the end, the NFL opted to simply follow the rulebook on unnecessary roughness fines rather than make an example of Shepherd which, given the film of the play, is a pretty interesting decision. Bozeman avoided a fine despite being flagged though, too, for whatever that’s worth.

The NFL fined #Saints DT Nathan Shepherd $11,817 for unnecessary roughness — twisting Justin Herbert’s leg after the ball was gone last week. #Chargers C Bradley Bozeman, who jumped Shepherd in defense of Herbert, wasn’t fined. pic.twitter.com/V6w9HHtfFn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 2, 2024