Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick is on injured reserve and didn’t play on Sunday against the 49ers. But he did stand on the sideline, and he got himself and his team in trouble.
At the end of Sunday’s game, 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk was tackled along the Rams’ sideline and some pushing and shoving ensued. Kendrick was involved, even though he wasn’t in uniform.
The NFL holds teams accountable for the actions of non-uniformed personnel on the sideline, and according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league office has fined the Rams $100,000 for Kendrick shoving Aiyuk.
The NFL also fined Kendrick $5,656 for his actions, and fined Rams safety Kamren Kinchens $5,653 for taunting Aiyuk during the same confrontation. (It’s unclear how the NFL decided that Kendrick’s actions were three dollars worse than Kinchens’ actions.)
Players who aren’t active for the game have no business getting involved in skirmishes, and it’s worth wondering why the league allows so many people to congregate on the sidelines at all. But if they’re going to be there, their teams are going to be held responsible for how they conduct themselves.