NFL Officials Botch Player Safety Again After Brutal Hit on Joe Flacco

The NFL continuously reminds anyone willing to listen that player safety is the league's top priority, yet the actions of its officials represent that it isn't a priority at all.

Twenty-seven days after Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan received a suspension for a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, the league must explain why Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso wasn't ejected for a similar hit Thursday night on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

With 3:13 remaining in the second quarter of a 40-0 victory, Flacco rolled to his right on 3rd-and-10. None of his receivers worked their way open, and the 6'6", 245-pound signal-caller lumbered toward a first down. Alonso bore down on Flacco with the intent to stop him from converting a first down.

The quarterback made the decision to start his slide two-to-three yards short of the marker. Alonso didn't let up and still blasted Flacco, per CBS Sports' Will Brinson:

The Ravens organization immediately placed Flacco into the concussion protocol and at halftime ruled him out for the rest of contest.

It was a needless, awful hit, which begs the question: Why wasn't it considered a flagrant foul, thus warranting an automatic ejection?

Alonso received an unnecessary roughness penalty, but he stayed in the contest and finished second on the Dolphins with five tackles.

Two arguments are being made in the linebacker's favor. First, the speed of the game makes it nearly impossible to redirect once a defender is in motion. Second, Flacco slid late.

Neither is true, as the Glenwood Post Independent's Josh Carney illustrated with an in-game screen capture:
Yes, the game is played at breakneck speed. No one denies how fast athletes are at the NFL level. However, defenders are taught to make a decision on whether to hit a quarterback within a one-to-two-step radius. It's often the difference between a sack or a late hit. Split decisions like these are made all the time.

Nearly four yards separated Flacco and Alonso when the quarterback started his slide. Alonso already made up his mind to hit him instead of pulling up short.