SANTA CLARA – The NFL fined Dashon Goldson $21,000 for his hit on Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Thursday afternoon in the media tent, Goldson answered questions about that and the upcoming game against the Seahawks. Here’s a transcript.
Q: Do you understand what an illegal hit is now as defined by the NFL?
GOLDSON: Apparently I don’t. I thought it was a clean hit. It’s just one of those things. The league is going to do what it’s got to do to keep the game clean. But as far as being a football player, I’ve got to go out there and play football and make plays for my team. I will continue to do that. I don’t have the time to sit there and dictate in the time span that I have as a football player when I’m on the football field to dictate what is a clean hit. I’m not a dirty player.
Q: As a multiple offender, aren’t you on the radar for a suspension?
GOLDSON: That caught me by surprise, because I haven’t been fined for multiple helmet-to-helmet or illegal hits, besides the one I had against the Rams. There was an argument with that call too, I feel.
Q: They informed you today?
GOLDSON: Yes, I was informed today.
Q: You’re going to appeal?
GOLDSON: For sure.
Q: It was $21,000?
GOLDSON: Yeah.
Q: Has it gotten to the point where any big hit will draw attention?
GOLDSON: It will definitely draw attention, just because of what they’re trying to accomplish around the league with the helmet-to-helmets and the defenseless players, or whatever they want to call them. It’s definitely going to raise a flag anytime you go in for the shot. But as football players, you can’t think about that.
Q: Do you think you’re style of play is having an effect on the opposition?
GOLDSON: For sure. Hits like that definitely give wide receivers the short-hands. It’s been proven throughout this league for years. It’s been proven since me and Donte have been back there making hits.
Q: Do you want to be known as the hardest hitter in this league?
GOLDSON: No, I just want to be known as a good football player.
Q: Vic Fangio said that he thought it was a clean hit.
GOLDSON: I was getting that all week from fans, coaches, players, friends – everybody from the outside looking in told me it was clean. I was getting it throughout this whole building. I guess the league had a different view.
Q: Did Hernandez have anything to say to you?
GOLDSON: He was pretty upset. He was trying to get after me the whole game, but I expect that. When somebody puts a licking on you, it’s for sure going to get you riled up.
Q: Have you sense a new respect or a new way teams approach you?
GOLDSON: Yeah, I do. I’d be a liar if I say I don’t. We put it on tape. We’re doing a good job of getting our point across of what we want to be as a secondary.
Q: How has Russell Wilson improved since the last time you played him?
GOLDSON: A lot. He’s looking a lot more comfortable back there. He’s making a lot of plays with his feet. It seems like he’s been getting off lately, scoring touchdowns. We’ve got to keep him contained.
Q: They haven’t clinched a playoff spot yet. Does that make them more desperate than you guys?
GOLDSON: You can say that. This game is always a hard fought game. They get up to play us and we get up to play them. It’s going to be a good game.
Q: How does your defense change without Justin Smith in there?
GOLDSON: We’ve got guys that step up. Justin is definitely one of our captains, one of our leaders, one of our bell cows. Somebody’s going to have to step up and carry that load for us.
Q: What’s it like to try to tackle Marshawn Lynch.
GOLDSON: You have to wrap him up. He’s a big, strong, compact running back. He’s got the mentality that the first guy is never going to tackle him. I’ve been playing against him since college. He’s definitely one of the toughest backs in this league. It’s going to take all 11 of us to take him down.
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