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The Pittsburgh Steelers are close to the bottom of most statistical offensive rankings in the NFL this season. However, there’s one category where the Steelers do lead the NFL — fines.
As of Week 7, the Steelers have accumulated a whopping $339,079 in fines according to journoresearch.org.
Running back Jaylen Warren has faced the brunt of that fine total. The NFL has fined Warren a sum of nearly $50,000 twice for two different infractions this season.
Warren is a former undrafted free agent playing on a contract that sees him earn under $1 million this season. A pair of $50,000 fines has resulted in the running back losing more than 10% of his pay for the 2023 season.
While that’s nothing to sneeze at, Warren fired a warning to the NFL that the fines won’t cause him to change his playing style.
“I mean, it sucks because that’s so much money,” Warren said, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “But I don’t let it alter my play. If … I don’t know if I should say this, but if I was in the same situation, I’m still doing what I’m going to do. It’s what got me on the team.”
Jaylen Warren Expresses Frustration Over NFL Fines
The NFL is in a difficult position. The league is trying to enforce safety into a naturally violent sport.
As Steelers fans saw with two different hits in the team’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8, the league isn’t always going to be equal to all parties while enforcing safety.
The NFL will get missed some things. There will undoubtably be inconsistencies.
One could argue Warren has suffered the most of any player in the league due to unwarranted fines. Officials didn’t call penalties on the field for either of the hits where he received unnecessary roughness fines.
Warren’s second fine came on a play where he was trying to block Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds. Warren is 5-foot-8 and 215 pounds.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to hit dudes that’s like 350 pounds and 2 feet taller than me,” Warren said according to Pryor. “I can’t stand my ground and kind of punch ’em. They’re going to run me over. So I try to enforce the hitting, again to the point where it’s costing me.”
Warren implied that intent should play a role in what does and doesn’t receive a fine.
“There’s clips where I’ve seen dudes doing stuff intentionally worse, and they’re not even getting fined half of what I’m getting fined.”
Warren appealed his first fine. The running back won the appeal, but the NFL didn’t eliminate the fine. Instead, the league reduced it by $9,000.
The running back has still paid more than $87,000 in fines.
“That’s hella money,” Warren said. “That’s so much money. If I got fined $2,000, I’d be pissed, too. But $50,000 is crazy. That’s a whole car. That’s money I could be giving my family.”
Warren said his fines have resulted in him losing almost two game checks. He is earning $870,000 this season.
Steelers Call for Changes to NFL Fine Procedures
Warren would obviously prefer his actions not receive any fines. But at the very least, he would like to see a reduction in the fine amount.
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt agreed. The 3-time All-Pro attacked the league for the amount its fined Warren during the first half of this season.
“I think it’s extremely egregious the amount of money that a guy like that’s being fined,” Watt told reporters, according to Pryor. “It’s ridiculous.”
Warren told Pryor that “he would support” a new fine system that would fine players based on the percentage of their salaries. Warren said one of the Steelers coaches agreed with him.
“I get fined the same that dudes like T.J. would get fined,” Warren said. “I get fined the same amount of money.”
According to journoresearch.org, the NFL has fined teams more than $2.8 million through the first seven weeks of the 2023 season. The league will donated that money to the NFL Foundation and Professional Athletes Foundation.
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