A post-game skirmish has led the NFL to dock the paycheck of Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams.
Williams was fined $7,875 for smacking Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the face following Sunday’s game, the NFL has confirmed. That’s about 35 percent of the $22,000 each player on the Redskins got paid for the wild card playoff game.
The incident took place after the Seahawks had beaten the Redskins, and as the two approached each other on the field, Williams told Sherman, “I’m gonna punch you in your goddamn face.” Sherman responded, “Well then do it,” and Williams then did it.
Williams is lucky the punishment wasn’t more severe. He smacked Sherman in the face for no reason, he did it after a high-profile playoff game in front of tens of millions of viewers, and he did it at a time when scores of players, coaches and others were on the field and a major fight could have broken out. By the standards of what the NFL usually fines players, a $7,875 fine for this infraction is pretty light.