Besides fining Marshawn Lynch $20,000 for grabbing his crotch, the NFL Thursday also busted teammate Chris Matthews $11,050 for the same gesture after he appeared to shake hands on the sidelines with Lynch after he scored a fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday against the Packers.
An unidentified NFL official disclosed the fine.
Matthews, a rookie wide receiver, was the special-teams player who recovered the onside kick later in Sunday’s NFC Championship won by the Seahawks 28-22 in overtime.
Lynch, who doesn’t speak with the media, a decision that earlier cost him $100,000 by the NFL for violating policy over two seasons, does use Twitter. He was not pleased:
I feel embarrassed to work for a particular organization that fined a teammate of mine for shaking my hand after a touchdown
— Shawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) January 23, 2015
Presumably Lynch knows that the fines are done by the NFL, not the Seahawks.
The video of the episode appears to back Lynch’s claim that only a handshake was involved.
Lynch, who didn’t speak after the NFC Championship, is likely in for more trouble with the league next week. A Seahawks official said the club, the NFL and members of the Pro Football Writers Association were to discuss Friday what to do if Lynch refuses to cooperate with media next week, when all players are required to attend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday sessions. The league typically ratchets up the amount of fines for repeated violations.
Lynch barely averted trouble Sunday when he planned to wear all-gold shoes, which would have violated the league’s dress code. Reportedly, the NFL was ready to eject Lynch if he wore the shoes. He played in his regular cleats, which were good for 157 yards.
But the Seahawks weren’t the only bad boys. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was fined $22,050 for an illegal blindside hit on Russell Wilson when the quarterback was pursuing the play after his second-quarter pass was intercepted. Matthews was penalized 15 yards.
“I was just blocking whoever, and it turned out to be the quarterback and obviously calls are going to go in their direction, whether it was a blind-side hit or whatever,” Matthews said after the game. “I’m just looking to pick up a block and unfortunately that’s just how the game played out.”
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FU Clay
Super Bowl 49: Seattle Crotch Grabbers versus New England Murderous Cheaters
Either the NFL has a video other than the one referred to in this article that shows the crotch-grab or the NFL is flat-out wrong. If that’s the case the Seahawks should make a stink that the NFL will never forget, demanding an apology and threatening a lawsuit if an apology isn’t forthcoming.
Pete, throw the red flag.