Tag: Fined

Nathan Shepherd fined for controversial hit on Justin Herbert

The NFL has fined Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd for his controversial hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in Week 8:

The New Orleans Saints continue to have players fined this season, as defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd was fined $11,817 for unnecessary roughness against Justin Herbert when he attempted to tackle him by the legs while the ball was already out of his hands. This tackle attempt was most definitely not a good look, and the fine is within reason considering the circumstances. In addition to this, Los Angeles Chargers center Bradley Bozeman, who jumped onto Shepherd in defense of Herbert, was not fined for this situation.

The Saints have had quite a few fines this season, including Alontae Taylor and Marshon Lattimore who received fines for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gestures), Khristian Boyd and Trevor Penning for late hits (unnecessary roughness), and Derek Carr for unsportsmanlike conduct as well. Shepherd now adds to that tally as they continue to build up their total allocations, 50% of which will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation.

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Trevor Penning fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness vs. Eagles

Trevor Penning was fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness against the Eagles. The Saints’ right tackle fell back into bad habits, and it cost him:

It wasn’t enough for Trevor Penning to cost his team 15 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL came calling with an $11,255 fine for unnecessary roughness after he drove Eagles cornerback Darius Slay out of bounds and into the New Orleans Saints’ bench.

This was the kind of play Penning was criticized for coming out of college, and he had done a good job avoiding them after turning pro. But this was an instance where he fell back into bad habits. It was a dumb play that injured Slay, and bowled over one of Penning’s coaches who couldn’t get out of the way in time on the sideline. And it ended up costing him.

You want guys to play to the whistle, and right tackles like Penning are often tasked with setting that tone. But there’s a time to dial it back. In this case it’s the moment when Penning’s coaches are waving and shouting at him to back off before crashing into the bench.

As for the football impact? This penalty wiped out a 5-yard run that converted a 3rd-and-4, moving the ball from the Philadelphia 39-yard line back into New Orleans territory at their own 46. It took a big effort from Penning’s teammates to keep the drive alive and end it with a touchdown,  but it would’ve been much easier if he hadn’t lost his cool.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half his Saints game check in fines to the NFL

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half of his game check from Week 3’s win over the Saints in fines to the NFL. That’s some expensive trash talk:

You don’t see this very often. Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined three times by the NFL for his actions in Week 3’s win over the New Orleans Saints, losing half his game check for an illegal hit and two taunting infractions. He was a little too eager to get after his old team for his own good.

It had previously been reported that Gardner-Johnson was being fined for unnecessary roughness; he made a late hit on Saints running back Alvin Kamara after the play went out of bounds, and that came up to $11,255. But a league review found two instances of Gardner-Johnson crossing the line in taunting his opponents, which cost him two charges of $16,883 each.

Add that up and it’s $45,021 coming out of Gardner-Johnson’s paycheck. He has a base salary of $1,375,000 this year, per Over The Cap, which comes up to 17 weekly game checks of about $80,882 each (before taxes). So Gardner-Johnson really lost a little more than half of his game check because he was too hot under the collar. That’s some expensive trash talk. For his sake, it’s a good thing the late touchdown he gave up to Chris Olave didn’t cost Philly the game on top of it.

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Saints rookie Khristian Boyd fined $4,600 for hit on DeVonta Smith

New Orleans Saints rookie defensive tackle Khristian Boyd was fined $4,600 for his hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith:

The New Orleans Saints have their second player to be fined in the 2024 season, with rookie defensive lineman Khristian Boyd receiving a fine for his hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith which caused a concussion. This fine is below the expected amount for hit on a defenseless player amount ($16,883) because a first-time offender cannot be fined for more than 10% of their salary cap hit for that game, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN. Terrell also noted that the fine could be reduced if the play is determined to be accidental contact.

From the mathematical side of things, Boyd makes $839,707 this season, divided across 17 games is $49,394.53 per game, and 10% of that (the maximum allowable fine) is $4,939 give or take. If the contact was determined to be accidental, that could put the amount right around the $4,600 mark they ultimately went with for the fine, so this all checks out. Boyd will now want to avoid further infractions of that type, as the amount increases each time the player is fined for that category.

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Saints featured Michael Jackson songs in pregame warmups after Derek Carr fine

The Saints catered their Week 3 pregame playlist to feature multiple Michael Jackson songs after Derek Carr was fined for last week’s TD celebration:

Shoutout to the New Orleans Saints’ gameday operations crew.  After Derek Carr was fined last week for a celebration paying tribute to the late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson (which the NFL promoted for millions of views), the Saints featured multiple Jackson songs during pregame warmups before kickoff with the Philadelphia Eagles.

These included “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Billie Jean,” which led to the amusement of many fans and media members alike. There was some alleged moonwalking from Philly reporters in the press box.

Carr ended up having to pay $14,069 for last week’s celebration, but maybe he will keep it going if he feels like having some fun and getting the fans hyped up each  week. Either way it was a fun gesture by the Saints.

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Report: Derek Carr fined $14,000 by NFL for Michael Jackson TD celebration

NBC Sports reports Derek Carr was fined $14,000 by the NFL for his Michael Jackson-inspired touchdown celebration against the Dallas Cowboys:

The No Fun League has struck again. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reports that  the NFL has fined New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr a staggering $14,000 for his Michael Jackson dance-inspired touchdown celebration against the Dallas Cowboys last week. Florio noted that Carr was not penalized during the game.

Carr’s teammates loved it, but the league office in New York had a more mixed reception. Players grabbing their crotches have been fined before (notably Marshawn Lynch, who used that celebration against the Saints in  the playoffs) but NFL Network has used those same gestures for promotional advertising on highlight reels. The late “King of Pop” even performed at the Super Bowl with his signature choreography.

But it cost Carr $14,000. The NFL has found a way to have their cake and eat it, too. Because Carr restructured his contract this offseason to play on a veteran minimum salary in exchange for receiving a hefty signing bonus, he’s only getting $71,176 in weekly game checks during the season. So about a fifth of his Week 2 paycheck is going to cover this fine. That’s an expensive dance move. If the tradeoff is Carr keeps leading the offense to 40-point scoring outputs, though? He’ll have cause to celebrate.

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Steelers WR George Pickens fined for taunting vs Bengals

George Pickens drew a big fine for a small play in last week’s game.

Last week Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens had his best game as a professional and was living his best life on the field. According to the NFL, he was living a little too good as they handed down a big fine to Pickens for a taunt during one of his two long touchdowns.

Pickens caught touchdowns of 86 and 66 yards on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. On the 66-yarder, Pickens turned back to stare down the Cincinnati defense the last three yards of his run and it cost him $16,391 for it.

This week Pickens and the rest of the Steelers hope to see more of him celebrating huge touchdowns as the Steelers take on the Seattle Seahawks in a must-win game. On the season, Pickens has 56 catches for 1,0009 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Pickens also has one rushing touchdown.

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Vikings safety fined for hit vs. Bears

Leading with your head on a hit will get you a fine from the NCAA

One thing that has been consistent this season is the National Football League has been fining players for using their helmets when hitting on the field.

According to The Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer, Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus $11,167 for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Here is the hit, which looks pretty innocuous.

The hit doesn’t look like much. He hits Fields in the midsection, but how he hits him is the cause of the fine.

Metellus uses his helmet and head as a battering ram, which is something the NFL is blatantly trying to get players to stop doing. Harrison Smith was fined $21,855 for a hit in week three against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL will continue to fine players for using their helmet as a battering ram in terms of player safety. This is the third fine on a Vikings player this season with Justin Jefferson also getting one for a touchdown celebration against the Carolina Panthers.

Colts’ Zack Moss fined for dunking football in TD celebration

Zack Moss’ second TD celebration hit his pocket.

Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss was fined $6,330 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans.

After scoring his second rushing touchdown against the AFC South rivals to give the Colts the lead in the third quarter, Moss celebrated by dunking the football through the goalposts.

That has become an instant fine throughout the league since Jimmy Graham knocked the goalpost off balance in 2013. The league has allowed players to jump and throw the ball over the crossbar, but it’s a fine if they make contact.

 

 

Moss was capping off a historic day for his career. He totaled a career-high 165 rushing yards against a Titans defense that hadn’t allowed 100 rushing yards to a team in 10 consecutive games or a 100-yard rusher in 20 consecutive games.

Even with the return of Jonathan Taylor, Moss is still going to be involved, especially as the former works his way back into action.

This marks the third week in a row a Colts player has been fined after Kwity Paye (Week 3) and E.J. Speed (Week 4) got hit with fines as well.

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Harrison Smith fined for hit vs Chargers

Smith was the latest player to be fined for a helmet to helmet hit

On Saturday, Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was fined $21,855 for a hit that he placed on Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen. The fine was reported by ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

In his tweet reporting the hit, Seifert included a clip of the reported hit, which directly shows that Harrison led with his head.

This has become a point of emphasis for the NFL this season, as they are trying to reduce the amount of head injuries in the sport.

The fines have been large so far this season, including Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren incurring a fine that was nearly an entire game check.

The amounts don’t seem to be consistent at the moment, but how much they are varied are likely attributed to how the player uses his helmet on the hit. Smith has the opportunity to appeal the fine if he so chooses.

Fines will become a common occurrence and likely won’t be stopping anytime soon.

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