A playoff elimination always leaves a bad taste. Especially, as it was the case for the Green Bay Packers, was the performance clearly wasn’t as good as it could have been.
On Saturday, it just became a little bit worse for edge defender Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle TJ Slaton.
They were fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness because of late hits during the game. Both plays happened in the fourth quarter. The amount of money is particularly significant because players don’t receive normal salaries for postseason games, just a type of bonus—each player from losing teams made $49,500 in the wild card round.
Another fine-related piece of news for the Packers is that Oren Burks was fined because of an illegal use of the helmet on the first play of the game, a costly fumble by Keisean Nixon.
It’s the seventh and eighth Packers players fined by the NFL this season. Running back Josh Jacobs had been fined $45k after lowering his head to initiate contact on a play against the Tennessee Titans in week 3 — that fine, though, was later rescinded.
Cornerback Jaire Alexander was fined $11k for pushing an Arizona Cardinals player. And tight end Ben Sims was fined $5,083 for unnecessary roughness on a play against the Houston Texans. In Week 16, defensive tackle Colby Wooden was punished by $6,150 for unnecessary roughness during the New Orleans Saints game. In Week 17, safety Zayne Anderson was punished with a $5,861 fine for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet) on a play he also suffered a concussion. And in Week 18, Kingsley Enagbare was fined $5,809 for a horse-collar tackle on Caleb Williams.
The Packers was one of the teams with the fewest fines in the NFL this season, a strong indication of how Matt LaFleur operates leading the roster.
To protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity, the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.
Players are notified of violations and may appeal any ruling. Cases are heard by appeals officers and former NFL players, Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, Kevin Mawae, or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL/NFLPA. The decisions made are final and binding.
The 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.
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