T.J. Watt was slapped with two hefty fines in the Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. One was avoidable, the other was not.
“Not smart,” Watt said on The Dan Patrick Show of removing his helmet. “We’re going to try to appeal it. I wasn’t trying to be malicious I wasn’t taunting at someone.”
Watt had just taken Ravens QB Lamar Jackson down for the second and final time. The sack sealed the game on a critical 4th-and-7 play, and he was amped. He was also flagged for the action, but since it occurred after the play, Baltimore didn’t get a new set of downs.
NFL Highlights (Week 5): The Pittsburgh Steelers secure the victory over the Baltimore Ravens by T.J. Watt sacking Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on 4th and 7. Watt would be flagged after the play for taking his helmet off in celebration of the game-winning sack. Pittsburgh… pic.twitter.com/GEhTg7iK54
— Justin David Kish • Sports Journalist (@JustinDavidKish) October 8, 2023
“We’re going to try to appeal. I wasn’t trying to be malicious,” Watt said. “I wasn’t taunting at someone… it probably wasn’t a whole lot of safety risk because technically the game was over at that point. I just have to be better, I guess.”
When a player is fined, he and his agent handle the appeals process with in-house lawyers. Despite what people think, the money doesn’t line the pockets of owners. According to the NFL rule book’s accountability section, “fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
Watt was additionally fined $11,473 for what appeared to be striking Ravens rookie receiver Zay Flowers. He was merely attempting to jar the ball loose, only it wasn’t a catch, so the league viewed it as hitting Flowers.
In Watt’s seven-year career, he’s been fined seven times for $83,429 — never for the same infraction. His most costly penalty, $20,054, was his first. It was a ticky-tack roughing the passer call on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. He barely grazed him, and Ryan embellished for the sake of a flag. Players should be called for diving like they do in hockey — there’s a thought.
