NFL overturns one-game suspension of Buccaneers' Dashon Goldson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson will be eligible to play Sunday against the New England Patriots after his one-game suspension was reduced to a $100,000 fine on appeal.

Appeals officer Matt Birk, the former Pro Bowl center who retired in the offseason, heard Goldson's appeal Wednesday morning. Birk upheld Goldson's $30,000 fine from Week 1 and made the decision to reduce the discipline for his hit on New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles in Week 2.

Merton Hanks, the NFL's vice president of football operations, suspended Goldson on Monday for a "flagrant and repeated violation" of the rules on helmet-to-helmet hits.

Birk's decision saves Goldson some money. Had he served the one-game suspension, he would have forfeited 1/17th of his $4.5 million base salary, approximately $265,000.

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