Copyright Heavy.
The Seattle Seahawks are flying high right now as one of the best teams in the NFL. Moreover, they are coming off a commanding 38-14 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 9. However, one player on the Seahawks will be feeling a little light in his wallet. On November 8, the NFL released its Gameday Accountability report, and Seattle’s Tariq Woolen was included on the list of players who received a fine. Players are informed of any violations and have the option to appeal. Appeals are reviewed by officers and former NFL players, including Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, and Jordy Nelson, all of whom are jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and the NFLPA. Consequently, their rulings are final and binding. For Woolen, the league is fining him for unsportsmanlike conduct during an incident in the fourth quarter at the 10:46 mark. As a result, the NFL is fining the Seahawks player $11,593. Tariq Woolen Remained a Seahawk Past the Deadline While no fine is a welcome sight for any player, Woolen might have had his mind occupied elsewhere. Heading into the NFL trade deadline, Woolen was a name in the rumor mill, but Seattle ultimately opted to hold onto the player rather than receive draft capital. “Honestly, it’s crazy, because that whole [trade rumor] thing was happening for five, six weeks, and nobody ever asked me a question about it till now. So it’s interesting,” Woolen said (h/t Seattle Times). “I really don’t care. It’s just funny. Nobody asked any questions to anybody on staff or me. It just went with what everybody else was saying in the media. I mean, adjustments are going to come in this business for everybody; they just come in different ways. Sometimes your name may come up in trade rumors, but I knew certain things that were happening behind the scenes, so I wasn’t really worried.” Seahawks Are Happy to Keep Tariq Woolen While Woolen could have been had for the right price, it appears that Seattle might have valued depth over a draft pick. The Seahawks are fighting to win the NFC West, so having a player of Woolen’s caliber was probably more ideal, even if the player isn’t a core piece to the defense. Furthermore, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald appears to be happy that Woolen remained in Seattle. “He’s stacked two really good games, good weeks of practice,” Macdonald said. “That wasn’t really our original plan going in, and then Josh [came] out so we shuffled the back end a good bit. Riq did a great job playing a lot of the things that we hadn’t given, those looks, throughout the week. So it tells you he’s preparing, he’s confident, and he’s playing fast. So a lot of positive.” With his future in the short term set and now being part of a team with Super Bowl aspirations, Woolen only needs to worry about the fine that he received. Nonetheless, if he is part of a winning team, perhaps paying that fine might seem like a significant deal to the player.
