Getty Jakobi Meyers, Raiders
It’s certainly an oddity of NFL rules. In Sunday’s game against the Broncos, Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers was whistled for a taunting penalty after catching a fade route for a touchdown over cornerback Damarri Mathis in the first quarter. On the play, both Meyers and Mathis hit the ground, and Meyers got up, he stood over Mathis briefly and said something emphatically.
“You can’t guard me” -Jakobi Meyers, probably.
Then, with less than three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Meyers took a short pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and received a tough hit over the middle from Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, with Jackson making helmet-to-helmet contact on Meyers. That play left Meyers with a concussion and will prevent him from playing in Week 2.
Jakobi Meyers injury Kareem Jackson Helmet to Helmet penalty Jakobi Meyers injured Raiders vs Broncos
The first play was, perhaps, childish, but had zero long-term repercussions. The second play left Meyers with a knock to the brain and will certainly hurt the Raiders against Buffalo in Week 2.
Yet, when the NFL announced its weekly fines for conduct penalties stemming from Week 1, Meyers was hit with a fine of $10,927 and Jackson was hit with a fine $14,819. That means the NFL considers causing a head injury to be $3,892 worse than some harmless trash-talking.
Raiders’ Divine Deablo Also Fined
Also on the Raiders’ ledger was an unnecessary roughness penalty given to Divine Deablo in he second quarter, which netted him a $7,547 charge. That was the lone blemish on what was an otherwise outstanding day for Deablo, who had nine tackles, including one for a loss, plus a pass break-up near the goal line that prevented a Broncos touchdown.
As for Jackson, a 35-year-old well-respected NFL veteran, there was some debate over exactly how malicious his intentions were on the Meyers hit. While he did make helmet-to-helmet contact, he initially tried to lead with his shoulder before Meyers went to the ground.
He was, he said, focused on trying to get the ball back for the Broncos with time running out and a huge third-down play unfolding. Jackson had Meyers stopped short of the first down, but the 15-yard penalty meant a first down for the Raiders.
“Definitely tough,” Jackson said after the game. “Bang-bang situation. For us and for me, I was trying to make a play for my team, get us off the field, critical situation. Unfortunately, these things happen—I hope he can come back next week or the week after or whatever.”
Kareem Jackson:
“Gotta get off the field on third down.”
Meyers Can Appeal NFL Fine
Both Jackson and Meyers will have the opportunity to appeal their fines before they are taken out of their next paycheck. The result of those appeals are decided on by appeals officers along with either James Thrash or Derrick Brooks, both former NFL players.
According to the NFL, there were 2,468 total plays in Week 1, and 1.3%, or 32, resulted in fines. The heftiest fine give out was for Arizona’s Kyzir White, on an unnecessary roughness play in the Cardinals’ 20-16 loss to Washington, for which he was fined $18,056. Arizona was the most-fined team in Week 1 as well, with Paris Johnson, Rondale Moore and K’von Wallace also incurring fines totaling more than $45,000.
The league does not keep money from fines. Instead, it says, “The fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”