Harrison Smith Not Fined For Hit On Heath Miller

In a bit of news that's probably more surprising than it ought to be, the National Football League has chosen not to fine Minnesota Vikings' safety Harrison Smith for a hit he put on Pittsburgh Steelers' tight end Heath Miller in last Sunday's game at Wembley Stadium.

The hit came in the third quarter, when Miller caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger. Both players lowered their helmets on the play. . .and, honestly, I'm not sure what else Smith was expected to do. . .and the referees flagged Smith for a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The league apparently didn't see any issue with the hit, and Smith did not get the expected FedEx envelope in his locker during the Vikings' bye week.

Smith explained what was going through his head on the play.

Smith said after the game he hit Miller high in part because he knew the ninth-year veteran was coming off a knee injury and didn't want to go low.

"I try to keep my head out of it," Smith said. "I didn't launch, and I don't really know what else to do. There was a play later where I hit him lower, and I didn't want to do it, but I had to. That might have made him mad.

So, it's obviously good news for Smith that he wasn't fined. Again, it was a situation where both players lowered their helmets, so I'm not sure if there even should have been a penalty involved. But, Harrison Smith's wallet is not going to be getting any lighter as a result.