The NFL league office doesn’t announce when players are fined for specific actions on, or off, the field, but players often tell reporters if they were docked some pay for transactions which took place.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, several players received letters from the NFL stating their game checks will be a little less this week due to flagged hits during the Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Ryan Shazier was the first to announce his $25,000 dollar fine due to his late hit on rookie DeShone Kizer, but he wasn’t alone.
Cornerback William Gay was also fined the same amount as Shazier for his hit on a defenseless receiver, and the same can be said for the hit J.J. Wilcox delivered which actually knocked him out of the game with a concussion.
All of the above hits were flagged by officials, but there was another unsportsmanlike call which was not penalized by the league office, and that was the call on linebacker T.J. Watt.
Per Mark Kaboly of DK Pittsburgh Sports:
Watt wasn’t fined for the unnecessary roughness penalty suggesting that the league didn’t feel that it was the correct call on the field.
Replays showed that Watt hit teammate Anthony Chickillo and not Kizer. Chickillo was awarded the sack, but Watt was penalized.
The reason this news is shocking is the NFL doesn’t like to admit it is wrong, and by not fining Watt, they are essentially stating the call on the field was incorrect.
So, to recap, Gay, Shazier and Wilcox all were fined roughly $25,000 ($24,309 to be exact), while Watt escapes the financial hit of the NFL league office in his regular season debut. I’m sure if Watt plays long enough, this won’t be the first, or last, time he hears from the NFL regarding a hit on the field.