The NFL has fined New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo $7,073 for unnecessary roughness involving the use of his helmet during the team's Week 7 overtime victory against the Houston Texans.
The penalty occurred in the first quarter when Skattebo lowered his helmet while running through safety M.J. Stewart, drawing a 15-yard personal foul that wiped out a seven-yard gain. The Giants held a 7-3 lead at the time of the flag, and they ultimately won 27-21.
The call marked the second time this season the league has disciplined Skattebo for similar contact. He received an identical $7,073 fine in Week 3 after illegal helmet use on a run against the Tennessee Titans.
League data listed both incidents under unnecessary roughness for use of the helmet.
Skattebo pushed back after the Texans game, saying the NFL promotes his physical style in highlights yet penalizes him for it. He indicated he would continue running the way he wants and would play for free if the flags and fines continue.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh confronted officials on the sideline and later sought clarity from the league. He noted that Skattebo runs low to the ground to protect the football and his body, adding that keeping the head up in such situations is a physical impossibility and that the running back was not attempting to use his helmet as a weapon.
Harbaugh said similar plays are more often handled with postgame fines than live penalties, and the team had not yet received further explanation.
Skattebo led the Giants with a career-high 124 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win, earning NFL Network's Angry Runs Scepter for the week.
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce later criticized the rule on his podcast, arguing that the defender bears responsibility in such collisions and that the enforcement is unreasonable for standard football.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: NFL fines Giants' Cam Skattebo for penalty they promoted on social media
