For the second time this season, a player has been fined for an unnecessary roughness penalty on Kansas City Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. This time around, the penalty was actually called on the opponent on the field.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league has levied a $21,218 fine for unnecessary roughness against Houston Texans S Jalen Pitre. The fine stems from a big hit in the third quarter from Pitre, it came just a few plays before Smith-Schuster fumbled, which ended the drive and led to a Houston touchdown. Pitre was hit with a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness on the play.
The NFL fined #Texans rookie DB Jalen Pitre $21,218 for unnecessary roughness — a helmet-to-helmet hit on #Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster last week. pic.twitter.com/ovyO7ITYnP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 23, 2022
The penalty amount, in this case, is the maximum amount for unnecessary roughness. That means that the Texans’ rookie Pitre is a multi-time offender and has been fined for unnecessary roughness by the league before. Expect Pitre to appeal the fine.
Smith-Schuster has taken some big shots when working across the middle of the field this season, but perhaps this fine issued with serve as a warning for defenders in the future. Those big hits aren’t worth the laundry in the game or the hurt on the bank account.
