BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata might end up kicking himself if he gets fined by the NFL for not keeping his temper under control.
In the first quarter of Saturday's preseason game, Ngata planted his right foot into the side of Washington Redskins left guard Shawn Lauvao in retaliation for a late hit.
After a long run by Redskins running back Alfred Morris, Lauvao flew in to lay out Ravens cornerback Dominique Franks. With Lauvao laying face first in the ground, Ngata took a couple of steps toward the lineman and kicked him.
Ngata wasn't penalized on the play, and Lauvao wasn't injured.
"When I saw Lauvao do that, I was just kind of pissed that he was doing that and just nudged him -- kind of the heat-of-the-moment thing," Ngata said. "That was the only thing. I was just trying to protect my own player. No disrespect to Shawn because we know each other. It was the heat of the moment, and [I] just was mad that he tried a late hit."
Ngata has been disciplined by the NFL in the past. In 2010, he was fined $15,000 for hitting the face of Ben Roethlisberger, which broke the nose of the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. In 2011, Ngata was fined $15,000 again for lowering his helmet into the back of New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.