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

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

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

It was not a legitimate use of the “Gator Roll,” a technique cited in the past by those defending sketchy play. This was dirty. It was cheap. The intention was 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 apparently tried to take out a quarterback. And ‘apparently’ is putting it mildly. We know it when we see it.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman saw it and knew it. And he put an end to it by shooting Shepherd and drawing a flag.

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

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

It’s the fifteenth anniversary from when the NFL was forced by Congress to take concussions seriously. Since then, the league has become increasingly vigilant about player health and safety. If the league is really serious about protecting players from attempts to injure them, Shepherd should be suspended.

That is the ultimate litmus test. If the NFL cares, he’ll be suspended today. If not, Shepherd and Bozeman will face compensatory fines later this week.