Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was not fined for his fourth-quarter roughing the passer penalty and hit against Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo. LB Kwon Alexander and S Miles Killebrew were fined for other incidents, however.
It was a controversial penalty, with Gene Steratore arguing that it needs to spark a discussion on rules surrounding quarterbacks and what defines a runner vs. a passer. It didn’t end up mattering in the long run, as Pittsburgh won 23-18, but the penalty helped lead to a Las Vegas touchdown.
However, S Miles Killebrew was fined $13,792 for an unnecessary roughness penalty that occurred with 0:47 seconds left in the first half, while LB Kwon Alexander was fined $43,709 for illegal use of helmet following a hit with 8:55 left in the third quarter. Neither play was flagged. Alexander is a repeat offender, hence why the fine was high.
Here is the play Killebrew was fined on:
And this is the play that Alexander was fined for. It’s a little ticky-tack but you can clearly see him use his helmet twice in a way that the NFL probably didn’t like, once when engaging with the blocker and then again on RB Josh Jacobs.
For Alexander, he’s now been fined $87,400 over the last two weeks. He can appeal both hits, but as Alex Kozora passed on, he’s being fined more than he’s getting paid. Before taxes, his total game checks for the last two weeks total $64,700.
It’s the second week in a row Fitzpatrick has had a controversial hit, as hit low hit on RB Nick Chubb in Week Two was considered to be dirty by some and sparked a debate. The debate this week wasn’t over Fitzpatrick’s intent, but whether or not the contact rose to the level of being called a penalty, especially given how Garoppolo tucked and braced for the hit, which could make him classified as a runner on the play.
The NFL felt there wasn’t enough there to fine him for the hit, and Fitzpatrick will keep some money in his wallet.
All NFL fine amounts are set by the CBA and go up a predetermined percentage each year. All fines go to charity. Alexander and Killebrew are the seventh and eighth Steelers to get fined this year. Alexander was fined last week, along with RB Jaylen Warren, S Damontae Kazee, DE DeMarvin Leal, and LB Elandon Roberts following Pittsburgh’s win over the Cleveland Browns. LS Christian Kuntz and S Keanu Neal were fined due to their action in Pittsburgh’s Week One loss against the San Francisco 49ers.
