Report: NFL Warned 20+ Players, Teams with Suspensions for Safety Violations in Memo

With the 2024 season underway, the NFL reportedly went an extra step to remind teams and specific players about safety rules that, if violated, could lead to suspensions.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday the league sent a memo to a list of more than 20 players and their teams "emphasizing the importance of safety and sportsmanship and warning them that they would face suspensions if there are any violations."

The players were not chosen at random, as those who were notified have been suspended during the past two seasons for on-field infractions.

The NFL is also looking to improve overall safety by reinstating the club remittance policy that it previously stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schefter explained the remittance policy means teams can be fined if players are suspended for safety, personal safety conduct and drug violations. The league's memo explained that fines which carry a maximum of $75,000 per infraction for such league discipline will count toward the overall fine total for teams that season.

The remittance policy comes into play when a player incurs more than $90,000 in fines or suspensions, which means teams are then "required to remit an amount equal to the cumulative amount of fines for Covered Infractions incurred by its players."

From the league's perspective, it is surely hoping the threat of additional punishments will motivate teams to further stress player safety and a more cautious approach to the game.

While it was not publicly revealed which players were contacted, Schefter noted Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman, New England Patriots defensive tackle Trysten Hill and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee are among those who have been suspended for on-field infractions the last two years.

Evans was suspended for one game in September 2022 and ended up missing his team's ensuing loss to the Green Bay Packers following his role in an on-field scuffle with Marshon Lattimore during a game against the rival New Orleans Saints.

ESPN's Jenna Laine noted NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote Evans a letter explaining the punishment for violating the league's unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules.

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines," Runyan wrote. "When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation. You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

Evans was also suspended for one game in 2017 for coming onto the field and shoving Lattimore in the back.

The NFL does not want to see such instances during the 2024 season and made sure to warn specific players and teams with another reminder.