Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He’s a nightmare for defenders trying to tackle him. That is, if they are legally allowed to do so. Detroit’s A’Shawn Robinson wasn’t.
Lions defender gets penalized for tackling Ezekiel Elliott
Elliott ran up the middle. Robinson corralled him, and lifted him off the ground as he tried to bring him down. He didn’t do any of this after the whistle blew. Everything about that play was a defender legally tackling a running back.
Except, the NFL referees determined it wasn’t.
Robinson was slapped with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty ... for tackling.
ESPN announcer Sean McDonough wasn’t a fan of the call either, calling it “a joke” and “terrible.” He was hardly alone.
