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By now, you have heard that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was ejected Thursday for stepping on Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith (video). Of course, Suh says he shouldn’t have been tossed, because his foot was tangled with Dietrich-Smith (although the video shows otherwise). As Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman aptly put it, “That’s an excellent block on [Dietrich-Smith's] part, and Ndamukong Suh doesn’t like it.” It was referee Terry McAuley’s second ejection in the game, with Packers cornerback Pat Lee being tossed before halftime for landing a punch (video).

The Suh ejection was for the kicking Dietrich-Smith. The league will review the entire video which shows Suh slamming Dietrich-Smith’s head to the turf a few times.

The NFL is mulling over a 1- or 2-game suspension for Suh, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. However, it would be an odd statement of priority if Suh is suspended for two games.

There were two multiple-game suspensions for an on-field incident in NFL history. Both incidents were far more serious than Suh’s conduct, so the precedent would be Suh has a one-game suspension on the way:

• 1986. Packers defensive lineman Charles Martin hit Bears quarterback Jim McMahon well after a pass, separating McMahon’s shoulder. Referee Jerry Markbreit ejected Martin, which was rare at the time for a non-fighting incident. Martin was suspended two games by commissioner Pete Rozelle.
• 2006. Titans defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth stomped on Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode’s face. Referee Jerome Boger assessed a rare double personal foul and ejected Haynesworth. Gurode needed 30 stitches to close the wound caused by Haynesworth’s cleats.

The last suspension for an on-field incident was Dante Wesley’s flagrant hit in 2009 which resulted in a one-game suspension (Zebra Blog coverage).

Total through Week 3: 19 fines, $235,000.

• Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour, $7,500 for unnecessary roughness and $7,500 for facemask foul.
• Patriots safety Patrick Chung, $7,500 for unnecessary roughness.
• Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, $15,000 for leading with helmet on a tackle. The hit resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown, which should have been nullified by penalty.
• Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, $7,500 for unnecessary roughness.
• 49ers tackle Anthony Davis, $25,000, two leg whip penalties.
• Bears safety Brandon Meriweather, $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit (as a repeat offender).
• Eagles defensive end Jason Babin, $15,000 for a hit to the quarterback’s neck.
• Redskins special teamer Niles Paul, $20,000 for hit on a defenseless receiver.

This week: 9 fines, $125,000

Each week, we keep track of the fines assessed by the NFL for on-field incidents. Total through Week 2: 11 fines, $170,000.

•  Titans tight end Daniel Graham, $5,000, throwing ball into stands.
• Titans defensive end Jason Jones, $15,000, facemask-to-helmet hit.
• Falcons safety William Moore, $7,500, helmet-to-helmet hit.
• Browns defensive lineman Phil Taylor, $7,500, late hit on quarterback (appealing fine).
• Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, undisclosed, excessive celebration penalty.
• Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, $7,500, low block (appealing fine).
• Steelers linebacker James Farrior, $15,000, late hit on quarterback.

For Massaquoi, the NFL’s 2011 Schedule of Fines lists taunting as a minimum $7,500 for a first offense. To keep the meter functioning properly, we will use this amount until verification is found.

This week: 8 fines, $65,000 (estimated).

Every week, we will try to tally up the fines assessed by the NFL for on-field incidents.

Last week’s total: 7 fines, $92,500.

• Most notably, Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson, fined $40,000, according to the NFL: “the minimum amount … for a second violation of the rules on hits against defenseless players” (our take: a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit).
• Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan, $7,500, unnecessary roughness. Morgan plans to appeal the fine, because he was trying to jump on a loose ball, and, as he says, “I couldn’t stop myself in mid-air.”
• Chargers defensive tackle Antonio Garay, $15,000, hit on a quarterback below the knee (photo of the play at the link).
• Seahawks defensive tackle Raheem Brock, $15,000, hit on a quarterback below the knee (video). He, too, has plans to appeal (@RaheemBrock).

This week: 4 fines, $77,500.

Robinson avoids sure suspension for bell-ringer; fined $40K for repeat offense

Week 2: Eagles at Falcons

After delivering a headhunting hit to Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin, Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson was looking to send a message.

The NFL also sent a message that it is afraid to enforce harsh sanctions for hits that sometimes cause careers to end, diminish the quality of former players’ lives, and even shorten their life expectancy. The league talks tough — threatening suspension for flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits — then shrinks back when action is required and demanded. Robinson, whose salary and bonuses average $9.5 million a year, was fined $40,000, or less than a half of one percent. In terms of a 60-minute game, Robinson makes $40,000 in 4 minutes and 15 seconds — whether he’s on the field or not.

The NFL’s press release admits they low-balled the number:

Robinson is a repeat offender of player safety rules. He was fined $25,000 for a 2010 violation of player safety rules … The minimum amount in the 2011 Fine Schedule for a second violation of the rules on hits against defenseless players is $40,000.

Robinson’s hit last year on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson (which Jackson does not remember due to the violence of the hit to his head) resulted in a heavy fine ($50,000, which was lowered to $25,000 on appeal) and was one of three such hits that spurred a midseason enforcement memo to all players. That same day, all of the teams played a DVD from the league (video) explaining the helmet-to-helmet hits would be met with equally harsh discipline from the league office.

The memo’s blustery language warned of flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits being a first-time-suspendable offense, but the new enforcement has yet to result in a benching. Robinson, who said Sunday, “I feel strongly that there will not be any further repercussion,” has now become emboldened to go out against the Buccaneers next Sunday and lay down the lumber on another defenseless receiver.

Rough play is part of the game, but is it a part of the game to cause a player to be unable to recall being hit? Is it an acceptable part of the game today, only to be followed by a story 20 years later of a former player who commits suicide because of the accumulated “acceptable” damage to his brain? When you read that story in 2031, you probably would think to yourself, “oh, that’s terrible,” and then continue on with your day.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Or, this way:

On Aug. 12, 1978, Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley, for the last time in his life, set his feet under his own power on the 10-yard line at the Oakland Coliseum. Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum administered a signature hit which sent Stingley limp to the turf, unable to move. With a compressed spinal cord and two broken vertebrae, Stingley was paralyzed from the neck down. He died in 2007 due to complications by quadriplegia.

And no one talks about a single touchdown Stingley caught or his statistics. It is the injury that defines his career. When Tatum died, headlines for his obituary made mention of the play. It was the hit that defined a career.

Is this the legacy that Robinson desires? Isn’t this an injury that the NFL would like to prevent?

The message sent by the NFL’s memo was loud and clear. The message sent by not fining Robinson was deafening.

Each week, we will try to tally the fines and suspensions imposed for on-field conduct this year. The NFL does not officially report this information; usually a team beat reporter will confirm with the league, so it is a patchwork effort to produce this list.

• Steelers cornerback Troy Polamalu, fined $15,000, horse-collar tackle
• Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, $15,000, headbutting an opponent. This lead to the brawl that flattened referee Tony Corrente to the turf.
• Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, $15,000, horse-collar tackle
• Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, $10,000, throwing a punch. Obviously, this was not seen by Clete Blakeman’s crew, because Woodson should have been ejected.
• 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks, $7,500, roughing the passer
• Giants safety Antrel Rolle, $20,000, spearing
• Giants safety Kenny Phillips, $10,000, striking head or neck area (was not penalized during the game).

Current tally: 7 fines, $92,500.

The Jets, in consultation with the NFL, assessed a watered-down punishment on Sal Alosi, a trainer who tripped Dolphins special-teams player Nolan Carroll. According to the team, he has been suspended for the remainder of the season, including the postseason, and fined $25,000. He was not fired. The lower amount of his fine, compared to Titans coordinator Chuck Cecil, is likely due to his lower comparative salary. (Alosi is a strength and conditioning coach, not one of the field tacticians.)

However, as pointed out at Pro Football Talk, there is something more sinister afoot. While the video shows Alosi tripping Carroll on a sideline punt-coverage route, Alosi is flanked by five other Jets staff members. Keeping in mind that punt coverage players tend to go out of bounds frequently (either on their own or aided by the opponent), this obstruction has all of the hallmarks of being deliberatly disruptive to the game.

Of course, the excuse of the coaching staff is that they are in the designated bench area of the sidelines, and that no one is standing on the off-limits, six-foot-wide white boundary line. However, a player who is headed out of bounds can step around a single person who is standing in the mandatory bench location. When five yards of sideline are being “covered,” there is little that a player can do to avoid a collision or entanglement.

On the field, it is illegal to create a wedge when blocking on a kick return. This is defined as at least three players forming a “wall” to block the full-speed defenders headed towards the ball carrier. The Competition Committee found this to be dangerous, and the NFL outlawed the formation (by making it a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty) in 2009. What happened on the Jets sideline, while not a true wedge, created up a situation where collision was inevitable.

So, yes, the team staff was where they were allowed to be, however their actions show that they had an alleged inclination for tampering with the integrity of the game.

Updated 12/14. A previous version of this post stated that the NFL suspended and fined Alosi, when it was the team’s action in consultation with the league office.

Week 13: Steelers at Ravens

Two Ravens players who had hits that were not penalized were fined by the league Monday night.

• Haloti Ngata was fined $15,000 for a hit that Picassoed the face of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and should make sneezing a challenge (video of Big Ben’s crooked nose here).
• Jameel McClain was fined $40,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on tight end Heath Miller (video). Miller suffered a concussion and is now under the league’s strict concussion policies before being cleared to play.

The fines, which are usually Wednesday–Friday business, came out less than 24 hours after the game ended. The speed of justice in this case, without a doubt, was to keep the Steelers from complaining about the league’s vandetta against the team. Or, at least to quell the discussion of the “conspiracy.”

Terry McAulay’s crew officiated the Sunday Night Football game.

Street brawls and cheap shots are about to become a bit more common in the NFL.

After banging each other under the hood, the NFL opted to fine habitual offender Cortland Finnegan of the Titans and repeat offender Andre Johnson $25,000 each — the league minimum for a second offense . Neither player will sit out next week’s game as was widely speculated.

Last week, the NFL assessed the same fine on the Raiders’ Richard Seymour for his sucker punch on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. This was a second offense for Seymour.

Finnegan was warned to watch his on-field roughness in Week 4 or that he would face a possible suspension. I suppose a suspension would be possible if Johnson’s detached head was still in the helmet when Finnegan threw it.

The league is sending a very clear message that this behavior will be lightly punished. Especially when the fine amounts to 5½ minutes of work.

Week 4: Broncos at Titans

The Titans have had several instances of fines and allegations of dirty play to answer to this season. Now Law & Order: NFL has its latest incident where the defense pleads its case to the court of public opinion.

THE CASE

Sen’Derrick Marks, the Titans defensive tackle who was flagged for a low-hit on Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, argues the case that he wasn’t fined for the hit, therefore it should not have been a penalty. If that logic was totally without foundation, his next allegation was even more bankrupt.

Marks suggests that the fine should revert to the official who threw the so-called erroneous flag, as reported by The Tennesseean:

I guess if I haven’t gotten fined for it then it was a bad call. But I already knew that. I’ll accept the referee taking a fine for me. That would work for me. I think if referee makes a bad call, then I think the refs should get fined for it. … I know where I hit [Orton] at. After I watched film it proved I didn’t hit him too low.

Marks alleges (with coach Jeff Fisher and beat writer Jim Wyatt backing up the defense) that his hit was to the thigh, and that an official should evaluate that accurately at full speed. However, the league already has expressed its enforcement orders, as we reported last year, to the referees in its Game-Related Discipline manual:

The Competition Committee emphasizes that whenever a game official is confronted with a potential unnecessary-roughness situation and is in doubt about calling a foul, he should lean toward safety and not hesitate to throw the flag.

All players receive a copy of this manual.

THE VERDICT

The NFL on Friday fined Marks $5,000 for the hit, according to Lindsay Jones at the Denver Post, rendering Marks’s argument moot. Also, since referees are scored as being 98% accurate in their calls, it was likely that Marks did not have a chance to plead his case, even if the penalty was one of the remaining 2%.

But, Marks may be fined again for contempt of officials in his defense.