ASHBURN, Va. (AP) 鈥� With quarterback Jayden Daniels out long term and the defense also ravaged by injuries, the Washington Commanders got one piece of good news when linebacker Frankie Luvu鈥檚 was reduced to a $100,000 fine.
鈥淛ust a relief, you know what I mean? A weight off my shoulders,鈥� Luvu said Wednesday, a day after winning an appeal of his one-game ban for his third violation of . “I know the rule has changed drastically over the years, but just 鈥� I鈥檓 never trying to step out on the field and trying to hurt somebody. That鈥檚 never my intentions.鈥�
Officials held their flags when Luvu brought down Jaxon Smith-Njigba during the first quarter of Washington鈥檚 to Seattle on Sunday night.
But the NFL later ruled the play constituted another violation by the eight-year pro after he was previously fined for hip-drop tackles in Week 4 and Week 8. The reduction of the sanction makes him available to play in the Commanders鈥� game against Detroit on Sunday.
Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said the outcome suggests understanding of the rule is evolving.
鈥淲hen you watch the games, he鈥檚 not being penalized for it,鈥� Wagner said. 鈥淪o a lot of the time as a player, if you鈥檙e in the league and you do something and nothing鈥檚 penalized, then you walk away from the game thinking everything鈥檚 fine. Then you get the letter in the mail and you鈥檙e like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 not fine.鈥� It lets you know that everybody is still trying to figure out what this thing is.鈥�
Banning the hip-drop tackle was among the latest in a series of rule changes intended to make the game safer.
With the hip-drop tackle, Wagner said it鈥檚 not something you can focus on avoiding during the game.
鈥淵ou want to work on it at practice to try to make it muscle memory, and you hope that your muscle memory takes over. But that takes time,鈥� Wagner said. 鈥淓verybody knows Frankie. Everybody knows the kind of person he is. He loves this game, this game means a lot to him. And so if they give him something to fix, he will get it done.鈥�
Meanwhile, Marcus Mariota is set to start for the Commanders (3-6) against the Lions (5-3) after Daniels in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks.
But the Commanders haven鈥檛 placed Daniels on injured reserve, and head coach Dan Quinn said the team is still deciding the path forward.
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