It turns out Jessie Bates wasn’t the only Cincinnati Bengals player fined for actions during the win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The NFL hit Ja’Marr Chase with a $15,914 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct after he earned a flag for taunting in the face of Chiefs defender Justin Reid.
Defensive tackle DJ Reader also got a letter from the NFL for $10,609 for the same issue after officials hit him with a personal foul against the Chiefs for getting involved in a scuffle.
As everyone already knows, Bates got hit with a massive fine for his alleged fake injury that caused a stoppage.
So in short, the Bates fine was the big one given the league’s attempt to crack down on fake game stoppages. But it’ll hit an interesting appeals process soon (how can the league prove an injury was fake, slippery slope, etc.)
Otherwise, this was minor housekeeping for the league after an emotionally charged game against the Chiefs. More problematic for the players involved was probably the reaction of coaches and the understanding it could have swung the result against them.
