Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons was fined $21,000 for a hit on Mark Sanchez on Sunday, and he’s not happy about it.
“What can you do? I was just playing ball,” Timmons told Joe Starkey of 93.7 The Fan. “I lowered my target like you’re supposed to do. I can’t help it if he slides or falls. It’s a tough spot to be in.”
Timmons, who signed a six-year, $50 million contract last year, added that “any time you get fined, it’s a lot of money.”
It’s not surprising that Timmons is upset to be losing $21,000, but it is surprising if he can look at this hit he delivered on Sanchez and honestly claim that he doesn’t think he did anything wrong. Timmons lowered the crown of his helmet directly into Sanchez’s jaw, in a textbook illustration of exactly the kind of hit the NFL wants to eliminate. The NFL will fine hits like that every time.