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Jonathan Dwyer fined $21,000 for hit on Bears safety Chris Conte

Dwyer becomes the second player in the league to be fined for the new "crown of the helmet" rule, disallowing running backs from ramming head first into defensive players in the open field.

By Neal Coolong
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sport
A trivia question for some point down the line.

Who was the first running back to be fined for initiating a "crown of the helmet" strike on an opponent?

Tennessee's Jackie Battle.

But Steelers RB Jonathan Dwyer was the second.

The NFL fined Dwyer $21,000 for a hit on Bears safety Chris Conte in Chicago's 40-24 win in Week 3. The play was not penalized, but seemed at the time the very definition of what the league was trying to prevent with the newly administered regulation.

The NFL said at the time it wasn't a play that happened regularly, but often enough it fit under its umbrella of action for the sake of player safety.

Dwyer had a huge hole off the right side, and Conte ended up in his crosshairs. Dwyer lowered the boom on him, appearing to have dazed Conte a bit on the play.

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was fined for actions in the game as well - the first two Steelers players to be fined this season, both on the offensive side of the ball.

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