We surmised earlier this week that Broncos coach John Fox should expect a fine for his frantic antics on the sideline in Monday night’s game against the Falcons. But when Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Thursday night that teams had again been warned about not bullying the replacement officials, we assumed that, while the huffing had turned to puffing, the NFL was not yet ready to blow Fox’s house down.
Now, Schefter reports that Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will both be fined.
The fines have not been levied, and Schefter reports that the amount will be in the vicinity of $20,000 each.
The delay is confusing. Fines usually are levied on Fridays. In this case, it could be that the NFL has opted to defer the process a bit, in order to not draw more attention to the fact that the replacements, in the opinion of many, need to be replaced.
Also, while the league has circled the wagons tightly against external criticism, no one truly knows how many arrows are being fired from the inside. If coaches are complaining to owners and owners are complaining to the league office, fining coaches who have a hard time putting up with the incompetence they believe they’re experiencing will only make it hard to hold the coalition together.