Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans for a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Smith was penalized for lowering his head on a tackle against Texans tight end Jordan Akins late in the second quarter. Akins held onto the ball for a 26-yard completion, but he left the game after the play and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a concussion.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer argued with an official about the call after Smith was ejected. He said after the Vikings’ 31-23 win that the league office made the decision to remove Smith from the game.
“Harrison is not a dirty player. He’s never been a dirty player,” Zimmer said. “I feel like he tried to get his shoulder in there. … They want to give us a penalty, fine, but don’t eject guys. This guy is one of the best players in the NFL and one of the best people in the NFL.”
The Texans kicked a field goal on the drive to cut the Vikings’ lead to 17-6 heading into halftime.
Smith, the five-time Pro Bowl selection, had three tackles before his day ended.
