When children misbehave, they’re put in time out. When adults violate a work policy, they get written up. When NFL players break a rule, they’re either penalized during the game, or in some cases, they’re penalized during and after the game and are they’re fined a chunk of money. Of course, a “chunk” of money is relative, so when you’re an NFL player making tens of millions of dollars a year, a $12,000 fine is all fine and dandy. But when you’re an average middle-class worker making a fraction of what NFL players make, $12,000 can easily be a quarter of your yearly salary.
Players can be fined for all types of reasons ranging from “unnecessarily entering a fight area with no active involvement" to hitting a defenseless player. According to spotrac.com, a total of 52 players have been fined in the 2016 season, including preseason.
Some fines are your basic and obvious fines, but others are so rare and out of the ordinary that they only come once every few seasons. It seems like forbidden touchdown celebrations and uniform violations are becoming more and more prevalent The 2015-2016 season is one of those seasons that has not failed to raise a few eyebrows. And remember, we’re only two weeks in.
Among the most notable fines given out to players this season so far is to Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. In their win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Hopkins donned a fresh pair of the Adidas-manufactured, “Yeezy” cleats and was fined a cool $6,000 for it.
And, he says he will continue to wear the cleats (that were most likely given to him) as long as Kanye West, the designer, agrees to pay the fines each week.
Switching gears to less of a fashion statement from celebrity designer support to supporting our troops and remembering the lives that were lost on 9/11, the NFL warned players prior to September 11th that they would be fined for wearing any patriotic gear that violated its uniform policy.
Players including Odell Beckham Jr., Avery Williamson and Victor Cruz sported red, white and blue cleats in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but as of September 17th, the players have yet to be fined.
What comes to mind when you hear the name Antonio Brown? Lately, the Pittsburg Steelers’ wide receiver’s outrageous touchdown celebration dances have been talked about just as much as his amazing athletic performance. In Monday night’s win against the Washington Redskins, Brown got a little carried away with a move he likes to call the “Boomin”, also known to us plain folk as twerking. When asked about the fine, Brown said it amounted to “a couple hundred” but upon further review, a first-time unsportsmanlike conduct offense usually runs around the 12-thousand dollar mark.
Was it worth it Antonio? I wonder if Missy Elliot’s lyrics to “Work It” were playing through his head as he shamelessly gyrated in the end zone.
“Is it worth it? Let me work it. I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it”
Let me remind you again, that we’re only two weeks into the regular season. At the rate the NFL is dishing out fines, we’re sure to be in for a record amount of fines for simple uniform violations and illegal celebrations in the end zone. Stay tuned to find out what will be next!
