It’s that time of the week. You know, the time when NFL players learn of the fines they’ve received from the week before. Sometimes, players are surprisingly fined for something that didn’t even draw a penalty flag in the previous game.
In last week’s last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks, rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes drew a flag for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett. The flag was legitimate, but what happened afterward was not.
Officials convened after the flag and kicked Forbes out of the game. It’s rare a player is removed from the game for a helmet-to-helmet hit unless he is a repeat offender. It was Forbes’ first such penalty.
On Saturday, per John Keim of ESPN, we learned that Forbes was indeed penalized for $15,563.
CB Emmanuel Forbes was fined $15,563 for his hit on Tyler Lockett last week.
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 18, 2023
That’s not a surprise. Players are fined each week for similar penalties from the week before.
What made matters worse was Forbes was removed from the game by officials at the league office in New York – not by game officials. It’s something that upset Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
“The penalty I understood,” Del Rio said. It was deserving of a penalty. But the ejection, for a first-time offense, on play six or whatever it was of the game, that was shocking.”
The ejection drew criticism from all around the NFL.
More from Del Rio.
“The fact that he wasn’t ejected by the officials on the field, he was ejected by somebody sitting in an air-conditioned room in New York, that’s troubling,” Del Rio said. “I think that’s troubling for the league.”
He’s right. Those in the NFL offices have the benefit of slow motion, multiple replays and different views on every play. It shouldn’t have taken long for anyone to realize that Forbes’ hit wasn’t egregious.