Curtis Lofton's hit on the New Orleans Saints' Marques Colston in Week 16 will leave the Atlanta Falcons linebacker's bank account substantially lighter: Lofton has been fined $15,000 for what NFL Network writer Jason La Canfora reports was "unnecessary roughness - striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area."
Lofton's hit on Colston came in the second quarter of the Falcons' loss to the Saints this past Monday, and drew a flag for unnecessary roughness and the 15-yard penalty that goes with it.
The controversy over Lofton's hit took on a life of its own when ESPN's Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden and FOX Sports officiating analyst got into a tiff over whether the play was called correctly on the field.
Lofton finished Monday's game with nine tackles, and has accumulated 133 tackles over the course of the 2011 NFL season.
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