BREAKING: NFL Looking Into Bijan Robinson’s Mysterious Absence vs. Bucs, Falcons Could Face Sanctions

The NFL is reportedly looking into Bijan Robinson’s absence for the Atlanta Falcons-Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 7 contest.

The Falcons didn’t give any warnings on Robinson’s health status ahead of Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. EST start time. The rookie running back saw just 11 offensive snaps and touched the ball only once in Atlanta’s 16-13 victory.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Robinson stated that he was dealing with a headache that he experienced on Saturday night. Head coach Arthur Smith didn’t want to risk anything, so Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson saw increased workloads.

VIDEO: We heard that Bijan Robinson wasn't feeling well.

He told us postgame he was dealing with a bad headache. Arthur Smith didn't want to test it. Said he was feeling it last night as well. pic.twitter.com/qKLaETxo4c

— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) October 22, 2023

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFL plans to speak with the Falcons about Robinson’s mysterious absence.

“The league has told PFT that it will “follow up with the club.”

The league should. And, frankly, the Falcons should be sanctioned for failing to disclose the situation.

There’s a clear strategic incentive in such situations to say nothing. It’s for the NFL to create a disincentive strong enough to deter teams from keeping quiet. Otherwise, teams that are trying to win football games (especially if/when the coach of the team thinks he might be approaching the hot seat) will choose to say nothing and regard the penalty as a cost of doing business they way in which the team chooses to do so.”

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Robinson’s absence was costly for many bettors and fantasy football users. Millions of wagers are placed on the NFL every week, and Robinson is obviously one of the the most valuable players in any fantasy league.

So the Falcons deserve the backlash they’re receiving for not giving any warnings on Robinson. If he was battling a headache on Saturday, they should have put something out ahead of time. Plain and simple.

The Falcons surely have few, if any, regrets since they defeated Tampa Bay anyway to claim sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Sunday’s win over a pesky Tampa team was especially impressive since Atlanta’s star player barely saw the field anyway.