The Browns didn’t agree with officials’ decision not to eject Chiefs assistant coach Greg Lewis. It’s a given they aren’t going to agree with the NFL’s decision not to fine the running backs coach.
The NFL fined Browns safety Ronnie Harrison $12,128 for his part in a sideline altercation with Hill. Hill received only a warning, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
Hill was told that any subsequent violations of Rule 13, Article 8 will result in discipline. The NFL found that “Lewis’ actions weren’t deemed worthy of a fine,” per Pelissero.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said this week that teams had received a memo from the league about sideline comportment. The league reminded them that “non-player personnel of a club (e.g., management personnel, coaches, trainers, equipment personnel) are prohibited from making unnecessary physical contact with or directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures at opponents, game officials, or representatives of the League. Penalty: Loss of 15 yards.”
The league’s treatment of Hill is curious at best since he pushed Harrison first. Harrison then pushed back. Officials originally penalized only Hill, but a call from the league office resulted in an offsetting penalty on Harrison and his ejection.
Network rules analysts, including NBC’s Terry McAulay, disagreed.
“On the field, penalize both, resulting in an offset, and after the fact, the league can fine as they see fit,” McAulay tweeted. “The result on the field seemed inequitable at best.”
As Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter noted this week, “I would expect that the coach gets held to the same standard if not a higher standard than Ronnie.”
“We can’t have opposing coaches putting hands on opposing players,” Tretter said. “I don’t think there’s any room for that in this league.’’