Cleveland Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Benglas.
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Cleveland Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Benglas.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy might go with a golf clap this week after being hit with a fine by the NFL for his actions during Week 1.
Jeudy was fined $11,593 for taunting against the Bengals. He clapped following a pass interference call on Cincinnati defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt. No flag was thrown on the play, so Jeudy probably isn’t very happy about having a slightly lighter wallet.
The NFL said ahead of this season that it would be emphasizing sportsmanship.
“There’s no place in the game to be standing over your opponent,” league executive Troy Vincent said in a video sent to teams. “There’s no place in the game to have violent gestures. That’s not the game of football. We just have to play by the rules, respect your opponent, respect your teammates and play the game in between the whistles.”
While Jeudy’s clap drew a fine, it hardly fits the spirit of what the league says it’s trying to crack down on. There was nothing violent about the gesture, nor did it cross the line into disrespectful showboating. It was more of a heat-of-the-moment reaction in a rivalry game — the kind of competitive edge fans expect when AFC North teams square off.
Jerry Jeudy Feels ‘Disrespected’ Ahead of Ravens Matchup
Jeudy and the Browns head to Baltimore this week to see the Ravens in another divisional clash. Cleveland is a 12.5-point underdog for the matchup, which Jeudy was not happy about.
“That’s disrespectful,” Jeudy said. “But at the end of the day, if they think Baltimore could beat us like that, we’re going have to prove another thing. We’ve got to do our job and do our best to win the game.”
Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward echoed a similar sentiment.
“Yeah, it is definitely disrespect, but we just have to go in there and take care of business regardless of what people may think and who they’ve got winning or losing the game,” Ward said. “We have to go in and try to beat the odds. They put us against the odds, we’ve we got to go in there and try to beat it.”
Jerry Jeudy Sees ‘No Challenges’ With Ravens Secondary
Jeudy provided some bulletin board material for the Ravens this week, saying he sees “no challenges” going up against their secondary that includes names Kyle Hamilton, Jaire Alexander and first-round pick Malaki Starks.
Hamilton responded to the two-word shot from Jeudy.
“Guys say whatever they’re going to say,” Hamilton said. “I really don’t care. That’s the thing with bulletin-board material that I never understood. Was I not going to play hard before he said that? I’m going to play the same way I was going to play. If you need bulletin-board material to go play, then that’s a problem on you.
Jeudy is coming off his first Pro Bowl season. He caught 90 passes for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns. Jeudy did not have an outstanding debut, catching five passes for 66 yards. He also had a couple of costly drops, with one being flipped into an interception.