Posted at 7:53 a.m., Sunday, September 30, 2007
NFL: Falcons bench Hall for quarter after meltdown
By Paul Newberry
Associated Press
Hall came in to start the second quarter.
The Falcons fined Hall $100,000, which he plans to appeal, and sat him out for the first quarter. Rookie Chris Houston got his first career start at cornerback.
Hall, meanwhile, watched the opening period from the Atlanta bench, wearing a Falcons baseball cap. He had started 43 of the past 44 games, including 19 in a row, and earned Pro Bowl honors the past two seasons.
Hall got into a heated argument with Petrino and an assistant coach on the sideline after being penalized three times for 67 yards on Carolina's game-tying drive in the third quarter. He was flagged for an interference penalty on Panthers star Steve Smith, which wasn't in dispute, then picked up a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he continued to go at it with the receiver.
Once Hall got to the sideline, he began to jaw with Petrino and assistant coach Joe Whitt Jr. The player had to restrained by three of his teammates, but he finished the game.
Carolina won 27-20 to keep the Falcons winless.
"I think it's a little bit unfair," Hall said during the week. "But he made his decision, and we need to move on from here. I'll try to rectify it and move on."
