NFL must suspend Nathan Shepherd for his apparent attempt to injure Justin Herbert

ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

If you went to a football game at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, you saw a WWE match break out.

Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd grabbed the ankle of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. And Shepherd started twisting.

It wasn’t a legitimate use of the “Gator Roll,” a technique cited in the past by those defending sketchy play. This was dirty. It was cheap. It was an intent to injure.

And the NFL must respond accordingly. Shepherd should be suspended.

It’s a no-brainer. Twelve years after the well-documented Saints #Boutygate scandal, a Saints player was seemingly attempting to incapacitate a quarterback. And “seemingly” is putting it mildly. We know it when we see it.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman saw it, and knew it. And he put a stop to it by blasting Shepherd and drawing a flag.

“It was probably one of the dirtier plays I’ve ever seen, especially with my own eyes,” Bozeman said after the game. “The ball was gone two or three seconds and he’s still gator rolling, he’s on the ground, still gator rolling. Protect your quarterback no matter what. I think any offensive lineman in my position would’ve done the exact same thing. I had to get him off him.”

Bozeman shouldn’t be fined for what he did. Shepherd should be suspended.

It’s the fifteenth anniversary of the moment the NFL was forced by Congress to take concussions seriously. Since then, the league has become more and more vigilant about player healthy and safety. If the league is truly serious about protecting players from attempts to injure them, Shepherd must be suspended.

That’s the ultimate litmus test. If the NFL cares, he’ll be suspended today. If it doesn’t, Shepherd and Bozeman will be getting offsetting fines later this week.