if you went to a football game at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, you saw a WWE match break out.

Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd grabs Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert by the ankle. And Shepherd began to twist.

It was not a legitimate use of the “Gator Roll,” a technique cited in the past by defenders of the sketch game. That was dirty. It was cheap. It was an intent to injure.

And the NFL needs to respond accordingly. Shepherd should be suspended.

It’s a no brainer. Twelve years after the well-documented Saints #Boutygate scandal, a Saints player was apparently trying to incapacitate a defender. And “apparently” means mild exposure. We know it when we see it.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman saw it and knew it. And he stopped it by throwing Shepherd and drawing a flag.

“It probably was one of the dirtiest pieces I’ve ever seenespecially with my eyes,” Bozeman said after the game. “The ball’s gone two or three seconds and he’s still rolling, he’s on the ground, he’s still rolling. Protect your defender no matter what. I think any offensive lineman in my position would have done the exact same thing. I had to get it off him.”

Bozeman should not be fined for what he did. Shepherd should be suspended.

It is fifteenth birthday at the time, the NFL was forced by Congress to take concussions seriously. Since then, the league has become increasingly vigilant about player health and safety. If the league is truly serious about protecting players from attempts to harm them, Shepherd needs to be suspended.

This is the ultimate litmus test. If the NFL cares, he will be suspended today. If not, Shepherd and Bozeman will receive compensatory fines later this week.