We still don’t know what Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones said to Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan to warrant an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but we do know exactly how much it will cost him.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL has issued Jones a fine for his unsportsmanlike penalty for “abusive language” in the Week 3 loss to the Colts in the amount of $10,609. That’s the minimum amount for a “taunting” unsportsmanlike penalty. The maximum that he could have been fined by the league for “taunting” exceeds $15,000.
The NFL fined #Chiefs DL Chris Jones $10,609 for unsportsmanlike conduct last week. Officials said he used abusive language towards #Colts QB Matt Ryan. pic.twitter.com/KkN5tDqF9P
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 1, 2022
The postgame report from referee Shawn Smith said that Jones used “disturbing language.” Jones refuted that on social media this week, but he has declined to comment on what was said. Andy Reid said earlier in the week that he’d yet to hear from the league about exactly what was said.
Asked about the incident on Friday, Chiefs DE Frank Clark explained that there isn’t much that can be said on the field without incident.
“You’ve got to understand the line,” Clark explained. “It’s 2022, it’s not 2015 no more, it’s not the ’90s. You can’t run around calling nobody nothing. You can’t call them the b-word, the a-word, the s-word, you can barely say ‘hell’ on the field without the ref telling you you’re wrong. You’ve just got to go out there play a solid, fundamental, Christian-like game. Protect yourself too because there are still live bullets out there. It’s crazy, though. You have to know the line, though. You’ve got to know the limit. We’re professionals and this is a billion-dollar industry. . .”
It seems unlikely that we’ll ever know what was said, but between the result of the game, the backlash and now the fine, it’s a safe bet that there won’t be much said on the field from any Chiefs players moving forward.
