NFL Network suspends Brian Baldinger for six months over Ezekiel Elliott bounty comment

On Sunday, Brian Baldinger suggested the Philadelphia Eagles put a bounty on Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. As a result, Baldinger has been placed on six months suspension without pay by NFL Network. The Sporting News reported the news of the suspension today.

It’s known that Baldinger wasn’t a fan of Elliott dating back to the NFL Draft, so on Sunday during a guest spot on Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fan in advance of that night’s Eagles-Cowboys game, he said, “This is the guy that we’ve got to take out of the game. There’s got to be 10 guys that want to hurt him every single play. In fact, we may even put a little bounty on Ezekiel Elliott.”

He added, “You want to cut off the head to kill the body, that’s the guy you’ve got to get to.”

Considering that the NFL wants to distance itself from bounties in the wake of the New Orleans Saints “Bountygate” scandal, Baldinger’s comments were not met too kindly among NFL Network execs.

Baldinger has made appearances on various NFL Network shows including NFL Total Access and other studio programs. He’s previously been an analyst on the NFL on Fox as well as college football games on Fox Sports Net.

So this will take Baldinger off NFL Network for the rest of the season and he’ll most likely make his return on the network in time for the NFL Draft in April.

Don’t expect Baldinger make any references to bounties on any outlet in the future.

[Sporting News]