Just when you think the NFL fines couldn’t get any more preposterous, the league outdoes itself with the recent punishments handed down to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin and New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
Hamlin avoided suspension and was given a meager $4,806 fine for the hit that knocked Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers out of last Thursday’s game.
Along with missing the rest of that game, Meyers has been placed in concussion protocol and will be out of action for the team’s upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals. So the Patriots will be without their top receiving target in a pivotal game due to the hit.
Damar Hamlin was ejected for this hit on Jakobi Meyers. It was a clear hit to the head of a defenseless receiver. It’s how Pats WR Darryl Stingley was paralyzed, and how others got concussions/CTE. If you defend this play, like @RGIII, please let me know. pic.twitter.com/s1gfQJ4jgK
— Dan Kelley (@DanKelley66) December 2, 2022
Meanwhile, Jones was fined $10,609 for unsportsmanlike conduct after flicking a football that barely grazed Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa.
https://t.co/ZKVQbptxFl pic.twitter.com/C1W9dpvw0C
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) December 10, 2022
Jones flicking the ball isn’t comparable on a scale of egregiousness to Hamlin’s dangerous hit on Meyers, and yet, he paid more than double with his wallet for the incident.
The only real difference is Epenesa suited up for the Bills’ game against the New York Jets on Sunday, while Meyers remains out indefinitely with a concussion.
