The NFL is showing once again that there’s a huge gulf between what the on-field officials think is a penalty and what the league’s disciplinary office thinks is illegal.
The latest example comes from the $43,709 fine handed down to Jets running back Breece Hall for what’s being called “unnecessary roughness” against the Falcons on Sunday.
The play in question was on the Jets’ first offensive possession, when Hall caught a short pass and gained seven yards. At the end of the play, he and Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell collided, and the league fined Hall for that. Terrell ended up in the concussion protocol, but he has since been cleared.
Looking at the play, it’s hard to see how it’s different from hundreds of collisions that happen every Sunday and don’t result in fines. The officials didn’t flag it.
Still, Hall gets the NFL’s biggest fine for Week 13 — a fine six times as much as the one Lions pass rusher Bruce Irvin got for the roughing the passer penalty that knocked Derek Carr out of Sunday’s game. Hall can appeal, and NFL players can continue to wonder how they’re supposed to know what is and isn’t allowed, when even the refs don’t seem to know.
