Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick called Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes “a punk” for a shot he took during Sunday’s game. Now the league office has confirmed that it views Spikes’ hit as a cheap shot.
Spikes was fined $25,000 for a roughing the passer penalty on which he made helmet-to-helmet contact with Fitzpatrick. Spikes’ fine was a little more than the typical $21,000 fine for roughing the passer penalties, which may indicate that the league thought Spikes’ hit was particularly flagrant, or that Spikes failed to get the message when he was fined $21,000 last month for an illegal blindside block.
This fine won’t come as a surprise to Spikes, who said on Thursday that he expected it -- and defended the way he plays.
“I’m a passionate player. I love what I do,” Spikes said. “I go to bed thinking about ball; I wake up thinking about ball. You can see it when I’m playing. My teammates love it and I go out and play for them.”
Two other Patriots defenders were also fined for hits against the Bills: Jerod Mayo was fined $10,000 for a late hit out of bounds, and Alfonzo Dennard was fined $7,875 for a late hit out of bounds.