Steelers FS Ryan Clark was fined $15,000 by the NFL, reportedly for a late helmet-to-helmet hit on Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Scott Brown of the Tribune-Review reported the fine via Twitter Thursday.
Players on the Steelers have been fined a total of $142,500 this year through eight regular season games and four preseason games.
Clark's hit was caught pretty clearly in CBS's coverage, and looked to be an over-agressive mistake.
Kemoeatu was fined $10,000 last week for a hands-to-the-face penalty he received against Arizona in Week 7. He picked up another $15,000 fine for another personal foul penalty against the Cardinals. He was flagged for illegal hands-to-the-face against New England, but per Brown, he did not receive a fine.
That seems to fit with a widely-perceived inconsistency with the fining policies from the league. It seems strange a hands-to-the-face penalty - which carries with it a charge of 15 yards in the game - merits a post-game fine as well. However, if it merited a $10,000 fine in Week 7, why isn't the same player called for it in Week 7 fined for doing it again in Week 8?
Boston Globe reporter Greg Bedard asked Brown via Twitter whether Steelers SS Troy Polamalu had heard anything regarding a fine for, what Bedard referred to as "the unflagged Welker hit," referring to Patriots WR Wes Welker. Brown didn't respond, and it's unclear exactly which hit he means. It's likely, though, if he was going to receive a fine, he would have been notified by now.
By the same logic, one would think if it was worth a fine, it would draw a flag. That obviously isn't the case in the NFL.