Chris Hope Fined: Falcons Safety Docked $30,000 For Victor Cruz Hit

Atlanta Falcons safety Chris Hope has been fined $30,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz last week.

The NFL announced the penalty Friday.

The hit, which happened during the third quarter of the Falcons-Giants matchup on Sunday (December 16), earned Hope a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty at the time.

Cruz, who was checked by trainers after the play but did not suffer a concussion, said after the game he didn’t think the hit was dirty.

Hope, a 10-year NFL vet out of Florida State, was optimistic when asked if he thought he would penalized by the league.

“Hopefully, I won’t (be fined), but there are rules and regulations,” Hope told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier in the week. “I’m not a dirty player. It was just a part of the game. I got caught in a situation where I just made a play on the ball. It was a hit that I didn’t think was head to head, but it’s probably going to be a fine.”

In addition to Hope’s $30k penalty, the NFL also doled out fines in the amount of $7,875 to Giants cornerback Corey Webster and Falcons receiver Roddy White for their skirmish that led to offsetting personal foul penalties in Sunday’s matchup.

ESPN notes that during the on-field scuffle, Webster, who appeared to initiate the exchange, was fined for unnecessarily striking White in the face area while White was fined for grabbing Webster by the facemask.

Highlights of the Atlanta Falcons vs New York Giants game can be seen in the video below: