Getty Jamie Collins of the New England Patriots
The Detroit Lions were lucky not to lose Jamie Collins to a suspension after he made contact with a referee, but he will be a lot lighter in the wallet as a result.
Collins was fined a whopping $35,096 for what played out in Week 1 according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. According to Pelissero, Collins is appealing the fine. Regardless of what happens, The fine puts a wrap on this entire incident.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Collins’ appeal goes anywhere or not.
Jamie Collins Not Suspended Over Incident
Collins isn’t going to be suspended for the head butt, which ended up being little more than a love tap. That news was revealed early on Monday by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
#Lions LB Jamie Collins won’t be suspended for the incident with an official that led to his ejection Sunday, I’m told.
Whether or not Collins will be fined remains anyone’s guess. One could imagine that a fine later in the week will be heading in his direction even if he will not be suspended.
The head contact occurred early in the first quarter as the Lions defense was attempting to slow down Chicago. Frustrated with head movements up front, Collins attempted to explain to the referee physically what was happening. The problem was he got a little too close and too animated.
Fortunately for the Lions, however, no suspension is coming.
Jamie Collins Regrets Referee Contact
Collins, who bumped a referee in what looked like a head butt last weekend and was promptly ejected from the game, took his press conference time on Thursday to admit that what happened was a mistake on the field last week. Still, from his perspective, he didn’t think there was much to be sorry about.
Jamie Collins: It was a mistake. Nothing was intentional. I would never headbutt a referee. It is what it is. Take it on the chin and get ready for the next week.
Collins said:
“Obviously, I don’t agree with it. I didn’t feel like I was a threat or anything toward him. It wasn’t like I intentionally tried to make contact with him. It was just a mistake. I didn’t agree with it. But it’s not in my control. I just take the consequences and move on.”
Collins confirmed that he did get fined and also that he plans to appeal said fine. Thankfully, though, he will not be suspended for such an inadvertent act on the field and will be able to play this weekend.
Detroit’s defense will need Collins to deal with a revved up Green Bay Packers attack, and hopefully, his return to the defense injects the group with some much needed energy after a miserable letdown last week.
Jamie Collins’ Agent Disagreed With Ejection
Some felt as if Collins made a silly mistake that he deserved to be punished for. Others believed the punishment totally did not fit the crime. Collins’ agency could be counted as someone that thinks that. During the moment Collins was flagged and ejected, the account unleashed about the decision.
Here’s the response, containing some foul language:
As a whole, the interpretation here in the tweet is fairly correct. Contact with officials is a no-no, but in this instance, a penalty would have sufficed seeing as there was no intent at bodily harm made by Collins. The referees should have huddled to discuss the matter, then stuck with a 15 yard personal foul penalty.
Instead, Collins was tossed, folks were upset and the Lions ended up losing the game. Could Collins have made a difference in the final result? It’s likely he would say he could have, and the truth is probably on his side. Not having an elite linebacker on the field certainly helped aid in the collapse on Sunday afternoon.
As Collins’ agent believes, things should never have come to that if the referees were doing their job. Regardless, the linebacker now faces the prospects of a fine.
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