The news of Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton’s fine for a fourth-quarter hit on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 6 was just the tip of the iceberg.
The NFL handed out four fines as a result of infractions committed during the “Thursday Night Football” showdown, totaling $43,412. Most of that was levied against Singleton, a team captain whose “unnecesssary roughness” call was deemed illegal “use of the helmet.”
Singleton will appeal the fine, per 9News’ Mike Klis, who broke the news on October 23.
The wording of the decision is also noteworthy. Singleton has been fined twice before this season, once ($11,941) for a late hit, and later ($17,911) for a hit on a defenseless player.
He got the latter penalty overturned, but the amount of the latest fine against him stood out as it aligned with a secondary offense for a hit on a defenseless player, per the NFL. That would have meant two strikes of the same kind for Singleton.
One more would have triggered an automatic one-game suspension, per the NFLPA.
Instead, he picks up a strike in a third category (second, not including the decision that was reversed) and still has two more such infractions before a suspension would be triggered.
The NFL levies fines at its discretion, sometimes resulting in amounts that do not match what is listed on the league’s official website. However, Singleton has been met with at or near-expected-level fines in each instance this season.
Two Seahawks Players Fined as NFL Docks Broncos’ Alex Singleton
Singleton was the only Broncos player fined over Week 6, but the NFL turned its attention to the Seahawks. It was not defensive lineman Byron Murphy, who was flagged for a facemask during the conest, though.
Instead, the NFL fined fellow D-lineman Mike Morris $6,808 for “unnecessary roughness” over impermissible “use of the helmet.”
It happened in the second quarter.
The infraction occurred during a pass from Bo Nix to Troy Franklin on first-and-10 from the Broncos 18-yard line. Nix completed the pass, gaining 2 yards, while Morris and teammate Nick Emmanwori made the tackle to end the play.
As was the case for Singleton, officials did not flag the play in real time, making this a surprising outcome for Morris.
The same is true for defensive back Ty Okada.
Okada received two fines for plays that did not draw flags during the game. Both fines were for unnecessary roughness infractions, both of which occurred during the first quarter. They also both amounted to $6,361.
His first fine was for illegal use of the helmet on another 1-and-10 pass from Nix.
From the Broncos 26-yard line, Nix found Jaylen Waddle for 8 yards. Okada made the stop, but he did so with the aid of his helmet, per the league.
The second fine was for tripping, again during a Nix pass play. It happened less than 40 seconds of game time later on a second-and-7 from Denver’s 29-yard line. Nix found RJ Harvey for 16 yards before Emmanwori made the tackle.
Okada, though, had extended his leg illegally during the play.
NFL Confirms Bad News About Denver Broncos Team Captain