Last Thursday night, Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman took issue with the failure of an official to throw a penalty after a pass play during which Bateman believed he was held by a Dolphins defender.
It ended up being an expensive complaint from Bateman.
He was flagged during the game. On Saturday, Bateman was fined $25,154 for verbal abuse of an official.
While it’s a proper outcome, it’s inconsistent. In Week 4, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said to referee Alex Kemp, “That’s some bullshit” after a holding call against Smith-Njigba wiped out a Seattle touchdown. Smith-Njigba directed to comment to Kemp, and his microphone relayed it to anyone watching the game.
Smith-Njigba wasn’t flagged or fined.
And that’s not to say he should have been. The point is that there should be consistency in these matters.