Chris Hope was fined by the NFL for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Victor Cruz during the Falcons' drubbing of the New York Giants last Sunday.

Strong safety Chris Hope of the Atlanta Falcons has been fined $30,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz.

Hope was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the third-quarter play during Atlanta's 34-0 win on Sunday.

Hope will make $990,000 this year. He also received a $65,000 signing bonus. Forking over $30,000 hurts a little more for him than it would for some defensive stars. That said, I'm sure he will still be able to afford his Wheaties.

To be frank, while I understand the NFL's concern, helmet-to-helmet contact is largely inevitable in football. It's not something you can viably exclude from the game. Hope's hit was vicious, Cruz is a star, and the Falcons had a sizable lead. But Cruz didn't sustain a concussion. He also didn't think the hit was dirty. It looked bad, and they flagged Hope, so the NFL wasn't exactly in the driving seat. They had to fine him, just to maintain some semblance of equal opportunity enforcement of their illogical rules.

Discuss.