Eagles cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie thought his hit on Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich was clean. But the NFL disagreed.
Rodgers-Cromartie was fined $21,000 for unnecessary roughness, the league office confirmed to PFT today. In the view of the league, Rodgers-Cromartie unnecessarily struck Leftwich in the head and neck area while Leftwich was considered a defenseless player.
The fine amount of $21,000 represents a 5 percent increase over the $20,000 fine that a similar hit would have drawn last season. Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states, “The designated minimum fines will increase by 5% for the 2012 League Year, and each League Year thereafter during the term of this Agreement.”
Although Rodgers-Cromartie didn’t think he did anything wrong, the rules are clear that a player cannot initiate unnecessary contact against an opponent in the act of throwing a pass or just after throwing a pass, and so it’s no surprise that Rodgers-Cromartie was fined.