The NFL’s fine system is weird. Beyond the bizarrely specific amounts of the punishments.
On Sunday, Rams receiver Puka Nacua threw a punch. He was ejected.
He then was fined. The amount was only $5,424.
How can an infraction that costs so little carry with it the penalty of ejection? Other conduct (like taunting, for example) draws fines in the four figures, but never an ejection.
As explained on Monday’s PFT Live, the NFL should generally reconsider the concept of ejections. Beyond the inconsistency of it (for example, Lions safety Brian Branch was ejected for an illegal hit on a defenseless player, but Panthers safety Xavier Woods wasn’t), an ejection potentially undermines the integrity of the various wagers placed on a game.
For example, we’ve seen players throw a punch and not be ejected. Nacua throws a punch and he is. And there go the overs on his prop bets.
Why not handle aberrant behavior with a potential suspension? And if the behavior (like a punch) only counts for a fine of $5,424, why even eject at all?
The suspension process is more deliberate. It gives the player a chance to appeal. Ejections are abrupt and immediate and not subject to review or oversight.
Yes, there needs to be a line that a player shouldn’t be able to cross during a game. But that line needs to make sense and, given that the league office ultimately controls all ejections, it needs to be clearly understood and consistently applied.