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Taylor Rapp celebrates a play in a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
Taylor Rapp had to open his wallet for last week’s controversial hit on Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.
The Buffalo Bills safety was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit that took place late in the fourth quarter of the 38-10 win on September 17. On Saturday, the NFL announced that Rapp was fined for the hit, which came after an incomplete pass to Adams.
“The NFL fined #Bills S Taylor Rapp $9,611 for unnecessary roughness — a hit to #Raiders WR Davante Adams’ helmet last week,” NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero wrote on X. “Adams criticized Rapp for playing ‘out of control’ he was evaluated for a concussion and cleared.”
Taylor Rapp Responded to Criticism
The hit did not sit well with Adams, who took aim at Rapp in a statement to reporters. Adams said the hit crossed the line.
“Was it unnecessary? Completely, obviously,” Adams said, via USA Today.
“Certain players play a certain way too. Some people, out of control, they fly around, they don’t really have much true purpose out there. I mean, playing a half field on one side, you run over and hit somebody in the head on the other side of the field,” Adams added.
Adams also criticized Rapp as a player, saying his lack of playing time could be related to what Adams saw as a reckless style of play.
“That’s why you’re in when you’re blowing us out by 25 at the end of the game,” Adams said. “Maybe if that man learns how to play the game the right way, he’ll see the field. Until then, he’ll have to go and live off of plays like that, I guess.”
Rapp responded later in the week, saying he had no intention of hurting Adams.
“Obviously, it was very unfortunate that he ended up getting hurt,” Rapp said, via the Buffalo News. “I’m never trying to intentionally hurt someone. At the end of the day, I’m just playing football the right way and playing hard to the whistle. I’m going to continue to play hard and continue to play my game.”
Though Rapp serves as a backup safety with the Bills, the Buffalo News pointed out that Adams’ criticism seems to be off-base. Rapp has started 48 of his 59 regular-season games, and has been flagged for unnecessary roughness or personal fouls only three times in his career, the report noted. This is his first career fine.
Two Fines for Bills in Two Weeks
Rapp was the second Bills player this season to face a fine from the NFL, which has added a new layer of transparency in publicly announcing all fines. Linebacker Matt Milano faced a fine for taunting after his Week 1 interception against the New York Jets.
A number of Jets players also faced fines, including linebacker Chazz Surratt for an illegal block on the game-winning punt return in overtime. If the penalty had been called during the game, the touchdown would have been overturned and the penalty would have pushed the Jets to the edge of field-goal range.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions for Heavy. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
