Edelman fined 3 times for unnecessary roughness
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was fined for unnecessary roughness on three different plays in the team’s 24-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday — a rare trifecta that will cost him $63,504.
One of the fines was a result of a first-quarter play in which he signaled for a fair catch on a punt but instead blocked safety Siran Neal, who was the first Bills player down the field to cover a punt. Edelman was penalized on the play.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had acknowledged after Super Bowl LII that he was weighing his football future, deflected questions on the topic.
Edelman had been fined $26,739 for the same infraction in the Patriots’ win over the Bills on Oct. 29.
The other two fines from last Sunday were for illegal crack-back blocks.
The three fines on Sunday were for $10,026, $26,739 and $26,739. Edelman has a base salary of $2 million, which means he earns $117,647 in each of the season’s 17 weeks, in addition to having per-game roster bonuses of $31,250.
So he will forfeit about 40 percent of his paycheck for Week 16, pending a possible appeal.
Also, the New York Jets — who finish their season Sunday in New England — were fined $121,925 for various violations in last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, headlined by coach Todd Bowles being docked $25,000 for criticizing the officiating.
In addition to Bowles, defensive lineman Leonard Williams ($43,449, unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct), running back Trent Cannon ($26,737, unnecessary roughness), and cornerback Darryl Roberts ($26,739, unnecessary roughness) were fined.
Information from ESPN’s Rich Cimini was used in this report.