Stevan Ridley suffered a head injury during the Patriots' loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

According to ESPN Boston, the Patriots running back was hit hard in the head by Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard. The hit forced a fumble, which Baltimore recovered. The turnover then led to a Baltimore touchdown from quarterback Joe Flacco to receiver Anquan Boldin that gave the Ravens a 28-13 lead.

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Ridley is expected to make a full recovery from his injury, per the Boston Herald.

As Boston.com notes, this is not the first time Pollard has caused an injury to a Patriots player. Back in December 2009, the then-Texans safety was credited with the tackle on the play where Wes Welker tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. Pollard is also known for hitting New England quarterback Tom Brady in the knee in September 2008, causing the former NFL MVP to miss the entire season.

According to NFL.com, Pollard also injured Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski during last year's AFC Championship game. The tight end was able to play in the Super Bowl but was clearly at less than 100 percent.

Some are calling the safety's latest hard hit a dirty play, though Pollard was not called for a penalty after the Stevan Ridley injury. However, Pollard defended his hit after the game, according to USA Today.

"It's just a tackle. It's football," he said. "He broke a hole and we filled. That's fine. That's football. I hope he's okay. We're competitive in the moment. But when everything calms down you want that guy to be okay."

Pollard's teammate, Pernell McPhee, agreed that the Stevan Ridley injury came on a clean play.

"That's football," the defensive lineman said after the game. "The league can say what they want to say and do whatever they want to do. But that's football, man."

But while Pollard did not think his hit on Stevan Ridley was dirty, he did have issues with a move that Brady pulled during the game. As Comcast SportsNet New England notes, Pollard took offense to the quarterback's slide during the second quarter of Sunday's game, when he kicked fellow Ravens safety Ed Reed.

"You've got to keep them legs down," the safety said. "You've got to keep the legs down. We all know and understand what's going on there. And as a quarterback, when you go to slide, we're taught ... we can't do anything. When you come sliding, and your leg is up in the air trying to kick somebody, that's bull crap."

Do you think Stevan Ridley's injury came from a dirty hit? Watch the video for yourself and then vote in our poll below.

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