Owa Odighizuwa To Appeal Fine For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa spent most of his NFL career in anonymity.
Selected with the 74th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Odighizuwa was on injured reserve for his entire rookie season. In 2016, he’s played in 95 of the Giants’ 526 defensive snaps, a whopping 18 percent.
He has one tackle in seven games. It’s difficult for a 6’3”, 270-pound man to stay anonymous, but Odighizuwa did so effectively until Week 7.
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Owa Odighizuwa: Giants DE Owa Odighizuwa Fined For Pretending To Take Landon Collins’ Picture
The Giants faced the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium in London. Safety Landon Collins turned one of the sickest interception returns in recent memory into a touchdown. In celebration, Odighizuwa got down on one knee and pretended to take Collins’ picture.
He was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Giants were docked 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Odighizuwa was docked $12,154 for the penalty. He will appeal the fine.
“When I first looked at it, I was thinking, ‘Oh, is that $1,200’”, he said in an interview with NJ Advanced Media. “But no. it’s not. It’s $12,000. I was like, ‘Sheesh, man, that’s crazy.’”
Odighizuwa has been surprised by the support he’s received on social media.
“I didn’t expect so many people to be on my side, so to speak. But I really did appreciate it,” he said. “I was the last guy I wanted to have attention drawn onto a play like that. It was not about me at all, in any way, shape, or form.”
“I was really happy for Landon for making a big-time play. The last thing I thought would happen be that fine at that cost.”
Odighizuwa will make $525,000 this season, roughly $30,000 per game. A $12,154 fine will be a substantial hit to his bottom line.
The NFL has been cracking down on touchdown celebrations in a really big way. Odighizuwa’s teammate, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., has been fined more than $36,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties associated with excessive celebrations.
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