The NFL fines players for illegal hits during the preseason, but for the third and final week of the preseason, those fines were fairly limited.
The biggest fine went to Colts cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who was fined $7,791 for unnecessary roughness. Ordinarily that money would be taken out of a player’s Week 1 game check, but Taylor-Britt is already suspended without pay for Week 1 for a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, so his fine will come out of his Week 2 check.
Four other players were fined for preseason Week 3: Buffalo’s Jalon Kilgore $5,560 for illegal use of the helmet, Minnesota’s Jermar Jefferson $5,583 for facemasking, New Orleans’ Danny Stutsman $7,011 for illegal use of the helmet, and Pittsburgh’s Doneiko Slaughter $4,917 for taunting.
Only five fines for a week is unusually low in the NFL: In preseason Week 1, nine players were fined, and in preseason Week 2, 16 players were fined. It’s likely that the NFL decided not to bother fining some players who were cut after the preseason finale, as those players won’t be getting Week 1 game checks anyway. The five players who were fined all remain under contract and have paychecks the NFL can dock.
The NFL and NFL Players Association collectively bargained the fine process. The NFL’s officiating department reviews plays and refers potential fines to the football operations staff, which then examines the plays in question to determine whether a fine is in order. Players who get fined are sent a letter informing them of the fine and a video of the play in question. Players who don’t appeal have the money withheld from their next game check. Players who do appeal get a hearing with an appeals officer who is jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. This season, the appeals officers are Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson and James Thrash. The appeals officer has final say on whether or not the player gets fined.
Fine money is donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation, which supports former players in need, and the NFL Foundation, which supports health and safety initiatives in football from youth leagues to the professional level.
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