The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns went at it in Week 6, with the Steelers cruising to a 23-9 blowout win.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spearheaded the victory, logging 235 yards and two touchdowns. Following the game, the Steelers didn’t have long before playing the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 on “Thursday Night Football.”
But during the Steelers-Brown matchup, there was a heated moment on the field that had fans riled up.
In a short video clip that blew up online, it appeared that Browns tight end David Njoku made an obscene gesture at a collection of Pittsburgh Steelers fans as he was walking down the sideline toward the tunnel.
The NFL is strict about its conduct rules for players and team officials, leading to weekly fines for on-field obscene gestures usually fall in the range of $11,000 to $15,000.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a prime example of the NFL’s zero-tolerance policy for such behavior — Jones was fined $250,000 for an obscene gesture in which he appeared to give the middle finger to New York Jets fans during a game at MetLife Stadium.
Now, Njoku is getting punished by the NFL.
Each week, the league penalizes players for conduct in the previous week’s games.
The NFL states on their website that these actions are “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.”
In the NFL’s report for Week 6, Njoku was handed a $14,491 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct (obscene gestures).
While that’s a big chunk of change, it wasn’t as bad as the highest fines of the week, which was handed to Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, who was fined $23,186 for unnecessary roughness (blow to the head/neck) of Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
The fines will go to a good cause.
According to the NFL, those fines will go 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.”
The Steelers are licking their wounds from the loss to the Bengals and will take on the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 26.
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