Wednesday, September 26, 2012

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick fined $50,000 for physical contact with official - @nfl

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 for his contact with an official after Sunday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the league announced Wednesday.

"New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have been notified that they have been fined for violating the rule prohibiting abuse of game officials. Belichick was fined $50,000 for impermissible physical contact with an official after Sunday night’s Patriots-Baltimore Ravens game," the league said in a statement.

Shanahan was fined $25,000 for berating an official after Washington's loss. Belichick always figured to pay more because of his contact with an official. Belichick said on Tuesday that he never meant any disrespect to officials, and he was just looking for an explanation for why Baltimore's last-minute field goal was not reviewed.

In other fine news, Steve Wyche of NFL Network reported Wednesday that Packers players will not be fined for their post-game remarks after Green Bay's controversial loss to the Seahawks.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.