Richard Sherman fined for unnecessary roughness on Bills K Dan Carpenter
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wasn’t penalized for diving into Buffalo Bills kicker Dan Carpenter, and he maintained he did nothing wrong on the controversial play, but the NFL decided he was at fault.
The NFL fined Sherman $9,115 for unnecessary roughness, Pro Football Talk reported. Near the end of the first half on Monday night, Sherman went offsides but kept playing. Carpenter went to kick the ball and Sherman dove to block it. Carpenter went down with what looked like an injury, but popped up soon after like nothing was wrong, and he eventually missed a field goal two plays later to end the half.
Bills players thought the hit was unnecessary and dirty, and the NFL determined it was illegal. You’d assume Sherman will appeal, because he has maintained he did nothing wrong.
“There was no whistle,” Sherman said on Wednesday, according to the Seahawks’ transcripts. “The league goes back and hindsights everything and says this and says that because they want to appease the fans. I know the rule book and I know exactly what I was doing on that play. It’s very similar to a free play, for all the uninformed people out there.”
During the game, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said it should have been a penalty for unnecessary roughness. So Sherman shouldn’t be too surprised at the fine, even though he thinks he was in the clear.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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