Though it went unflagged on Sunday in Week Four late in the first quarter, a blindside block from Houston Texans defensive lineman Kurt Hinish on the interception return from cornerback Steven Nelson at 5:01 of the first quarter led to a $4,879 fine for the Pittsburgh native, the NFL announced Saturday afternoon.
As you can see on the interception return by Nelson, Hinish (#93) can be seen landing a blindside block on Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth in the middle of the field. The block did not lead to a flag from officials, but it ultimately led to a fine for the Pittsburgh-area native.
Ironically, Houston linebacker Cory Littleton and Steelers wide receiver George Pickens were flagged for Unsportsmanlike Conduct on the interception return. You can see the two wrestling each other to the ground on the return, leading to the offsetting flags.
The two were not levied fines on Saturday. Hinish was the lone one to receive a fine coming out of Houston’s 30-6 win over Pittsburgh.
It might be sweet for the Pittsburgh native to get a win over his hometown team, but his wallet is a little bit lighter this week.
Hinish, an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, signed with the Texans after the 2022 NFL Draft, and has played in 19 career games. He started three games for Houston as a rookie and has carved out a role for the Texans. So far in his career, the Central Catholic graduate has 29 tackles, six tackles for loss and one sack in his first two seasons in the NFL.
At Notre Dame, Hinish was a team captain and holds the program’s all-time games played record.
