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Breece Hall's fine for $43,709 has former NFL star JJ Watt very upset. The former Defensive Player of the Year saw the play in which the NFL deemed Hall had done something fine-worthy, and he couldn't believe his eyes. He called it a normal NFL play and was utterly shocked that the league would levy a penalty against the star running back.
Watt ripped the NFL on X, formerly known as Twitter:
"$43,709 fine for a running back lowering his shoulder to protect himself from an incoming tackler flying in at him. A perfectly normal, routine football play. What are we doing with these fines?!"
The play in question saw Hall break to the outside after a short reception. He evaded a couple of tacklers with a stiff-arm and lowered his shoulder to fall through the final defender for a couple of extra yardage.
JJ Watt upset with Breece Hall's fine
As J.J. Watt mentioned, the video seems to suggest that the New York Jets running back led with his shoulder, which is hardly a penalized offense. Watt, who was known for his tenacity on the field, is stunned that such a normal-looking football play was the result in a hefty fine.
The play did result in a concussion for Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell, which likely led the NFL to think action was necessary. Terrell is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and he suffered a bad injury as a result of this play.
Nevertheless, the former Arizona Cardinals defensive end is none too pleased with the decision to fine Hall for making a play that ultimately helped his team and didn't appear to be a clear rule violation.
The interesting aspect of all of this is that the play wasn't flagged. These kinds of hits, the ones the NFL has to fine players for, often are. If a player leads with his helmet or even appears to, it's often an unnecessary roughness penalty.
This is especially true with a wide receiver attempting to catch a pass, but the lack of a flag on Hall's hit suggests that referees saw nothing wrong with it. Evidently, the league disagrees. So does the ex-Houston Texans standout.
