The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a remarkable 3-0 start to the season, making them one of the top teams to start the 2024 NFL season. However, just as everything seems to be wrapped up in an air of good news, one of Mike Tomlin‘s players was fined for a controversial action.
This weekend, the NFL announced the penalties for Week 3 actions and put the spotlight on one key Tomlin’s Steelers player for a polemic play that happened during the 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. These sanctions are for alleged offenses related to the safety and fitness of athletes and are subject to appeal.
The Steelers’ player fined by the NFL is none other than tight end Darnell Washington, who had already released the news to the press saying he would protest the league’s measure. The sanction is not so controversial because of its price of $6.760, but because of the sanctioned play against the Chargers. He was tagged with a crackback block that is not easily distinguishable.
The controversial play happened early in the third quarter when Washington blocked a Chargers defender. There are concrete possibilities of acceptance of the Steelers tight end’s claim, as the two players are lined up directly in front of each other in the motion. In addition, no flag was raised at the time to mark a penalty.
Additional fines from the Steelers vs Chargers game
In the Week 3 NFL game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, not only was Darnell Washington fined, but two other players were also penalized by the league. They were Khalil Mack and Derwin James, both of the Chargers.
Mack was fined for an illegal hit with just under 2 minutes left in the third quarter. The fine is $16,883 and is classified as roughness to the passer. James, meanwhile, was suspended for a hit on Pat Freiermuth, also in the third quarter. Although the Chargers safety appealed the penalty, it was upheld and he will forfeit his check for the next game.