There’s no question it was a rough afternoon for the referees in the New England Patriots’ Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins at South Beach.
There were multiple penalties that went uncalled in the game, including an ugly helmet-to-helmet hit from Dolphins defensive back DeShon Elliott that put Patriots wideout DeVante Parker in concussion protocol.
Elliott was also involved in a questionable hit against running back Rhamondre Stevenson as well, where he led with his helmet on the play.
After taking a look at both hits, the NFL handed down a $9,833 fine for the play on Parker and $43,709 for the play on Stevenson. The huge price jump is due to Elliott being a repeat offender, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
DeVante Parker just got absolutely destroyed pic.twitter.com/0p1FIpwTjk
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) October 29, 2023
Elliott was also fined $43,709 for unnecessary roughness (2Q/3:31) on this hit on RB Rhamondre Stevenson (also not penalized). pic.twitter.com/OMPCktma8y
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 4, 2023
The fines won’t do much to quell the anger from Patriots fans considering they lost opportunities in a game that was deemed a must-win against the Dolphins.
They also lost Parker, who is one of their best receivers, for the Week 9 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
