The NFL just dropped the hammer hard in Week 2, hitting players with a shocking 38 different fines for on-field antics. Among those catching the league’s disciplinary eye? Two Green Bay Packers players, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and rookie defensive lineman Chris McClellan, both found themselves on the wrong side of unnecessary roughness calls, and lighter in the wallet.
Special Teams Follies Cost Green Bay Big Bucks
Let’s dig into these fines because they are wild. First up, Ty’Ron Hopper, Green Bay’s linebacker, got slapped with an $8,325 fine. Get this: it was for an act of unnecessary roughness on the *opening kickoff* against the New York Jets that went completely unpenalized during the game! Can you believe it? The broadcast clearly showed Hopper hitting a Jets player in the back, long after the play was officially over. The on-field officials either totally missed it or didn’t think it was egregious enough for a flag, but the NFL office, reviewing everything with a fine-toothed comb, definitely disagreed. They saw the action, and they made sure Hopper felt it in his pocket.
Then there’s rookie defensive lineman Chris McClellan. He snagged a $7,167 fine for his own moment of unnecessary roughness. This one happened on a punt return in the fourth quarter. McClellan got right up in a Jets player’s face and forcefully shoved him, well after the whistle had blown. Unlike Hopper’s uncalled foul, McClellan’s temper tantrum *was* penalized 15 yards on the play, hurting his team right there on the field. So, two special teams plays, two moments where these Packers players just couldn’t keep their cool, and two significant fines coming straight out of their earnings.
The League Is Watching: More Fines Are Piling Up
These two fines aren’t isolated incidents for Green Bay, either. Hopper and McClellan now make it the third and fourth Packers players to be fined just two weeks into the season. That’s a trend that no team wants to see emerging this early. Remember, Week 1 saw safety Evan Williams get hit for $7,087 and edge rusher Lukas Van Ness for a hefty $17,911. The league is clearly sending a message, and Green Bay’s players are hearing it loud and clear through their bank accounts.
And it’s not just the Packers feeling the heat. The NFL is clearly cracking down across the board. The 38 different on-field issues that led to fines in Week 2 is a massive jump from the 20 fines handed out in Week 1. That’s almost double! Jets quarterback Geno Smith also got fined for taunting after a third-quarter touchdown pass, an act for which he was also penalized. And Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown took a hit for *four* different instances of unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 2 alone. It just shows you how intensely the league is scrutinizing every single play, every interaction, and every post-whistle push.
What does this mean for every player out there? They need to clean it up, fast. The NFL is not playing around this season. We’ll all be watching to see who else gets caught in the crosshairs when the fines for Week 3 are released next Saturday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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