Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown was recently slapped with a hefty fine for what the NFL described as unnecessary roughness.
St. Brown was blocking downfield when he hit Jaquan Brisker during the Lions’ Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears.
Although referees did not flag St. Brown during the play, the Lions receiver was later fined $43,709.
The third-year pro understood the reasoning behind the NFL fines as it relates to player safety. But he suggested the fine was excessive.
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown after catching a pass for a touchdown during a game against the Chicago Bears Nov. 19, 2023, at Ford Field in Detroit. (Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It is a lot of money, but I guess, you know, the way I block wasn’t legal,” St. Brown said, via MLive.com.
“They said it was like forcible contact to the head. Like I said, I just got to be better. But there are still rules that have to be followed in the game, and we got to try our best to follow those. But, yeah, I mean, I feel like $43,000 for what I did was quite a lot. But it’s fine. I’m going to appeal it. We’ll see what happens.”
JJ WATT BLASTS NFL OVER LIONS STAR’S FINE: ‘THIS. IS. STEALING. MONEY.’
St. Brown also expressed his appreciation of the NFL’s efforts to remove potentially dangerous hits from the game.
Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions celebrates a second quarter touchdown during a game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field Nov. 19, 2023, in Detroit. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“I’m on the offensive side of the ball. I’m not complaining too much,” St. Brown said. “We’re the ones that have to take the hits. It’s really rare that we get to deliver blows. If I was a defender, I would probably be saying ‘yeah’ to you, but as an offensive player, I don’t mind it. I go across the middle. They’re trying to protect us [and] I’m all for it.”
On Sunday, former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star pass rusher J.J. Watt reacted to St. Brown’s fine, suggesting the NFL was “stealing money.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions stretches prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium Oct. 15, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
“Here we go again…,” Watt wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “General rule of thumb: If you have to watch the video multiple times to try figuring out which person did something wrong and you still can’t figure it out, we probably shouldn’t be taking $43,709 from someone.
“This. Is. Stealing. Money.”
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The Lions are in first place in the NFC North and are looking to bounce back from a disappointing Thanksgiving Day loss. Detroit travels to New Orleans this weekend for a matchup with the Saints.