Watt accuses NFL of ‘stealing money’ after controversial Amon-Ra St. Brown handed fine.
When it comes to social media, J. J. Watt is one of the most powerful voices in the NFL. So it’s no surprise that he is using his platform to advocate for the rights of other players in the league.
For example, Detroit Lions wideout Amara Darboh was fined by the NFL on Thursday for lowering the head and making contact during a blocking play against Chicago Bears. The fine was $43,719 and Darboh took to Twitter to defend Darboh and fellow NFL players.
It’s happening again,” Watt wrote. “As a general rule of thumb, if you have to watch a video multiple times to figure out which person did what, and you still can’t figure it out, maybe we shouldn’t give someone $43,709.”
Watt then drove home his point with four words: “This is stealing. Money.”
Brown also came forward with his complaint.
Almost 5% of my salary. I’m hurtingg,” the Lions receiver tweeted.
The NFL has made an effort for years to clean up the sport and limit helmet-to-helmet contact.
But in watching the replay of the video that caused Brown to be fined, it’s difficult to find the receiver on the field, let alone see what led to such a hefty penalty.
Brown has a base salary of $940,000 this season, so he should be able to withstand the financial hit.
But his calculations were accurate, and it’s a significant salary reduction for a receiver who barely touched the ball and only made one downfield hit on a run play. The fourth-round draft pick is off to another strong start and should break 1,000 yards receiving in his next start.
Brown is also expected to get a big payday, probably in the form of an extension with the Lions, who are 8-3 and tied for first place in the NFC North.
