Lions receiver Anquan Boldin probably won’t mind this week’s fine too much.
Boldin got his paycheck docked $6,076 this week because he threw the ball into the stands during the game. Boldin did it in an exuberant celebration after scoring the game-winning touchdown, so he likely feels OK about losing some money under those circumstances.
The NFL does not fine players for handing footballs to fans, but it does fine players for throwing footballs into the stands. The league is concerned about crowd control and safety if large numbers of fans are climbing over each other trying to catch a thrown football.