John Franklin-Myers was fined only $12,537 for kneeing Derrick Henry in the stomach
The weekly list of NFL-imposed fines for Week 4 includes Titans defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers. On the surface, the $12,537 fine for “striking/kicking/kneeing” seems as perfunctory as any such fine ever does. The video paints a different picture. It happened in the second quarter of Sunday’s game between the Titans and the Ravens, on a play that resulted in a three-yard touchdown pass from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews. Although the game broadcast didn’t capture it, the film reveals the full incident. Ravens running back Derrick Henry cut-blocked Franklin-Myers. After the ball was caught in the end zone, and while Henry was on all fours and not looking, Franklin-Myers took a step back and then jammed his knee into Henry’s midsection. The officials presumably didn’t see it, because no penalty flag was thrown. It was the kind of gratuitous move that could have resulted in an ejection. It’s somewhat surprising it didn’t lead to a suspension. The end result doesn’t come close to matching the infraction. It’s less than the league fined Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Browns running back Quinshon Judkins for a celebration that mimed smoking a joint. And it was nearly half the amount of a fine that was imposed earlier this season, we’re told, on Ravens receiver LaJohntay Wester for — God forbid — displaying an unauthorized logo on his gloves. Those fines aren’t part of the weekly announcement from the league. Wester was fined $23,882 after the Ravens’ Week 1 game against the Colts for the foreign logo on his gloves. While the fine schedule is negotiated between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, something is off if a player can deliberately ram a knee into the midsection of an unsuspecting opponent and be fined only $12,537, but having an unauthorized logo on the official gloves costs $23,882