Dolphins receiver Greg Camarillo’s unnecessary roughness penalty in overtime against Tennessee just got even more costly.
Miami paid 15 yards for the penalty, and ultimately a chance to stop Tennessee from scoring in a crucial game. Now Camarillo will pay $5,000 for the infraction.
Mike Florio pointed out in Monday’s Morning Aftermath that the call against Camarillo was correct by the letter of the rule and clearly the league office agrees.
An NFL spokesman told the South Florida Sentinel that Camarillo was fined because he “unnecessarily struck an opponent late.” VP of NFL officiating Mike Pereira defended the decision in his weekly segment on NFL Network:
“I don’t see the intercepting player trying to get up and run. He clearly gave himself up, and that’s the first part of the play,” Pereira said. “There’s no attempt to get up. [Camarillo] comes up and bangs him pretty good, even in slow motion. We’re out to protect players, and when a player gives himself up we don’t feel that he has to be hit.”
So even though Camarillo didn’t crush Titans safety Michael Griffin, his hit was defined as unnecessary. And that made a fine necessary.