San Francisco 49ers cornerback Josh Norman slammed his fists into Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen’s back during a scrum for the ball in last week’s matchup between the two NFC wild-card contenders.
Norman was not flagged on the play. After six days of silence, the NFL has maintained its modus operandi: not addressing the matter and waiting for the following week’s slate of games to overshadow the league’s inaction.
“#49ers CB Josh Norman was not fined for unnecessary roughness for what appeared to be a double-fisted kidney punch on #Vikings WR Adam Thielen last week,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday night.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio weighed in on the issue, calling out a double-standard this week where Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill was suspended two games for punching a Las Vegas Raiders guard John Simpson.
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Florio: The NFL ‘Desperately Needs Full Transparency’
In response to the NFL’s decision to not fine Norman, Florio called out the league for its lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
Here’s what Florio wrote:
It’s unclear why Norman wasn’t punished at all for the punch, especially in the same week when the league suspended Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill two games (reduced to one on appeal) for a post-game punch of a Raiders player.
The play in question was over but players were actively jostling for the ball. While there’s a certain amount of tolerated frenzy that occurs in those situations, Norman’s reaction seems more than a bit excessive.
It’s another reason why the league desperately needs full (or any) transparency when it comes to these decisions. Why no foul? Why no fine? The situation raises questions that never will be answered, especially not with a full day of bright shiny objects on the way.
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Past Rulings
While Norman’s acts toward Thielen didn’t spark a skirmish like Hill did against the Raiders, there was a blunder by the officials at the very least.
One official reacted directly to Norman, pulling him off Thielen, but didn’t throw a flag.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward was flagged for a less egregious act, granted it was an “inadvertent” punch on Los Angeles Charger quarterback Justin Herbert.
Ben Leber Calls Out Norman
Many in the Vikings community took issue with Norman all week.
Former Vikings linebacker and analyst Ben Leber is among those who have called out Norman for the play. Leber tweeted at Norman on Sunday, saying, “(By the way) you’re a punk a** for taking a cheap shot on Thielen. Although not sure he even felt that weak a** fist.”
Coach Mike Zimmer said he didn’t see the play in his postgame press conference but was upset with the officiating for several reasons.
“These guys hold all the time,” Zimmer said. “They grab us around the waist, grabbing our backs. They don’t want to call it every play, but until they start calling it every play, they’re not going to stop doing it.”
Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen said Norman did apologize to Thielen. However, Allen didn’t provide any details on the words exchanged between the two players.
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