New York Jets star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is going to take multiple hits to the wallet for his actions in Week 3.
During the contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, September 21, Williams committed what the NFL deemed as two “unnecessary roughness” level plays that warrant fines.
In the first quarter, he was flagged for a face mask. That resulted in an $11,593 fine from the league office. In the third quarter, Williams performed what the league categorized as a “hip drop tackle.” That resulted in an $17,389 fine from the NFL.
The former Alabama product was not flagged for a “hip drop tackle” penalty during the game.
“The fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety, and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game,” the NFL revealed in its operations manual.
Williams and any player who is issued a fine are allowed to “appeal any ruling.”
The Fine Amount Seems Arbitrary
Two players were issued a fine for performing a “hip drop tackle” following Week 3 in the NFL. Williams and Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White. White, like Williams, wasn’t flagged for a “hip drop tackle” on the field during the game.
Williams was fined $17,389, and White was only fined $6,500 for the same infraction. What gives?
“Williams’ fine was presumably bigger because the league’s disciplinary office considered his hip-drop tackle more blatant,” Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk speculated.
“The NFL banned hip-drop tackles in an effort to reduce injuries, the NFL Players Association opposed the move in large part because players believed the rule was not well defined enough for the players to know exactly what constitutes a hip-drop tackle. Given that they’re routinely spotted by the disciplinary department but not the officials on the field, it’s easy to see why the players think the rule is ill-defined,” Michael David Smith added.
Two Buccaneers Players Get Whacked for Actions During Jets Game
Williams won’t be the only player from the Jets-Bucs game donating money to some NFL charities.
In the first quarter, star defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr hit backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor with a blow in the “head/neck” area. That resulted in an $17,389 fine from the league office.
In the second quarter, linebacker Deion Jones was called for a facemask, which is deemed an “unnecessary roughness” fine category level. He is being docked $6,972 for that play by the NFL.
Jets Final Injury Report
The green and white continue their road trip in the state of Florida in back-to-back weeks. This time, the Jets will travel to play the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
They will have to attempt to secure their first win of the season down several players.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed that two players have been ruled out: starting defensive end Jermaine Johnson (ankle) and newly acquired cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr (ankle).