The NFL handed down two fines to Packers players over the weekend, with both penalties tied to actions from Green Bay’s season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Linebacker Lukas Van Ness was fined $17,911 for a hit on a quarterback at 11:13, with the league classifying the play as a blow to the head or neck. Safety Evan Williams was also fined, taking a $7,087 hit for unnecessary roughness at 3:43 after a hit on a defenseless player.
Van Ness’ fine was the larger of the two and ranked among the biggest from the first week of games.
Green Bay is 1-1 on the season after beating the New York Jets on Sunday and dropping its opener to Minnesota. And while the focus in Green Bay is always on what happens between the lines, the league’s weekly discipline is another part of the job players have to deal with.
According to the NFL’s official website, the league "uses the fine schedule to outline the league's and the union's expectations for players to conduct themselves in a way that honors the sport and respects the game, themselves, their fellow players, the fans and the league."
If the fines are not challenged and are paid, the money goes to the Professional Athletes Foundation "to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game," according to the NFL.
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