The NFL has dropped the hammer and suspended a Commanders defender for repeated violations that are flawed by the league

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Josh Taylor | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 11:07 PM ET

The bad news continues for the Washington Commanders after their blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Injuries have been the main headline over the last 24 hours, with Jayden Daniels suffering his elbow injury, while Luke McCaffrey and Marshon Lattimore have been ruled out for the season with injuries as well. The Commanders are going to be without another key starter against the Detroit Lions, but not because of an injury.

The NFL is cracking down and suspending linebacker Frankie Luvu, who can't stop hip-drop tackling players, and putting their health at risk.

Frankie Luvu suspended for one game for repeated violations

Luvu has become the first player in the NFL to be suspended for hip-drop tackles, and he's been fined twice already for it this season alone, yet he continues to do it, and now he's paying for it on and off the field.

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu has been suspended without pay for one game for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 4, 2025

He was never flagged for any of the tackles, which is awful officiating, but he was fined for hip-drop tackles against the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, and now a third time against the Seahawks, resulting in a one-game suspension. Luvu will be appealing the suspension, but the NFL will win this case with ease when they see the tackles. He was also fined for one against the Detroit Lions in the playoffs last season, so he has a history that the league knows about. All of his tackles are very obvious and, honestly, irresponsible. He isn't the only one doing it, though, just the example for the league to use.

Here are all three of Frankie Luvu's hip-drop tackles this season: pic.twitter.com/X0fRGpkzQh
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 4, 2025

The NFL seems to ignore the tackles on Jayden Daniels, though

I'm all for dropping the hammer and protecting players from serious injuries, but it needs to be done across the league, and that's just not the case with Daniels. We've seen multiple tackles on Daniels this season that should have been hip-drop tackles, and none of them were fines or flags, which is unacceptable.

So what’s the NFL going to do about all the hip drop tackles on Jayden Daniels this season?

Just asking for a friend… pic.twitter.com/nabWUEVzxq
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) November 4, 2025

The league reviews everything and hands out fines on Saturday's so there's no excuse to not catch the tackles on Daniels, especially after the injuries he's suffered this season. It's a great rule to have to protect players, but the execution is very poor, just like a lot of other rules around the league.

Luvu had built a brand with the NFL, however, and he's now suspended for a game after his third offense this year alone, and the Commanders just can't catch a break in this nightmare of a season.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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