Considering that the Lions and Raiders have more personal fouls this year than any other teams in the league, it’s no surprise that four players were flagged for personal fouls when the teams met on Sunday. And it’s no surprise that all four of them were fined this week.
The stiffest fine went to Oakland’s Jerome Boyd, who was fined $20,000 for an illegal blindside block. The 15-yard penalty was huge for the Raiders, as it wiped out a long kickoff return, and now the fine is awfully big for Boyd, too.
Two Lions were fined $15,000 each for horse-collar tackles: Cliff Avril and Stephen Tulloch. Those penalties were also costly, as they helped march Oakland down the field to set up the Raiders’ first touchdown. Avril was particularly displeased with his penalty because he argued that Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer was still in the pocket when Avril dragged him down from behind, which would have made it legal. But the referee ruled that Palmer was out of the pocket, and the league office agreed.
Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry was fined $7,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct for going too far as he celebrated his fourth-quarter touchdown. Unlike the other personal fouls, that penalty wasn’t particularly costly on the field, as it was enforced on the ensuing kickoff, which Sebastian Janikowski boomed deep. But it will cost Curry in the wallet.