There has already been plenty of debate around here about both the legality of Moore's hit, and the sportsmanship of it. For Moore's part he has chimed in, and doesn't feel like he did anything wrong:
""I didn’t even know I was flagged until I ran to the sideline," he said. "If it was the wrong thing to do, I apologize, but at the end of the day, I mean no harm to nobody. It was just my reaction, man. I was being a football player, I couldn’t really get to the ball to pick it off, which is what I really wanted to do. But my intention was just to hit him. Our coaches want us to be physical, so I’m going to do what I do."
I was worried afterwards, wondering if Fox and the staff had Moore's back. Fox erred on the side of recognizing league authority on the issue, but he also noted that he didn't fault Moore for the play, noting that he was a rookie, and that he didn't think it was a helmet to helmet hit, indicating he may have felt the penalty was unwarranted.
And just like his teammates had his back on the field, they continued to speak up for him off the field as well.
Fellow Broncos rookie Von Miller said he didn’t see the hit downfield but liked Moore’s moxie.
“That’s the type of football we play; we play aggressive and that just happened,” Miller said. “You’ve got to keep on coming every play. If it happens, it happens. We’re not a dirty team by any means, but that’s the game of football.”
Of more interest is that coming to the sidelines, Moore was encouraged by the coaching staff to "Keep it up, but stay smart," which is maybe the biggest worry: that Moore might come out of the incident a bit gunshy or not feeling like he should be as aggressive and physical as he had been.
I think he cleared that up pretty well with the following statement:
"That’s what they’re looking for," Moore said. "They’re looking for a guy who can come in and patrol the back end — and a lot of guys were excited. I’m trying to send a message that I can play and that I can help this team win."
It looks like Moore has no plan to change his style, but the NFL review of the play is still to come. We'll see if Goodell tries to make Rahim sing a different tune...