Our Seattle Seahawks just took another tough loss, but to make matters worse, some of our guys are now getting hit with fines for plays the refs apparently missed entirely against the Denver Broncos. And get this: Ty Okada got the unwanted daily double, snagging *two* fines for stuff that went down within a single minute of game time in the opening quarter. Seriously, what were the officials watching?
Okada’s Costly Minute and Morris’s Own Ding
Okada, our starting safety, is looking at a $6,361 fine for an illegal use of helmet while tackling Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. And if you watched that game like I did, or even checked the replay, it wasn’t that obvious in real time. But wait, there’s more: his second $6,361 fine came from what the league decided was a tripping attempt on Broncos running back RJ Harvey. The wild part? There wasn’t a penalty called live for that one either, probably because Harvey didn’t hit the deck immediately. It’s a brutal pill to swallow, especially when the flags stay tucked away during the actual game.
It wasn’t just Okada getting dinged though. Our defensive end Mike Morris also got a $6,808 fine for illegally lowering his helmet. That play was a clean-up tackle on Troy Franklin. The league called it an illegal use of helmet. Good news is, lowering the helmet isn’t one of those three-strikes-you’re-out-for-the-season suspension offenses, but it still stings to see the fines pile up after an already rough outing.
Sam Darnold Takes a Shot, League Finally Acts
And then there’s the hit that had us all holding our breath. With less than a minute left in regulation, our QB Sam Darnold got absolutely drilled by Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton on a late rush. Darnold was noticeably slow to get up after that vicious hit, and what did the refs do? Nothing. No roughing the passer call, zilch. But the NFL definitely noticed it after the fact. Singleton got slapped with a hefty $23,882 fine for illegal helmet use. They almost *never* call these helmet penalties in-game, which is why it felt like a missed roughing the passer call in the moment. It’s a classic case of the league stepping in after the fact when it should have been handled on the field.
These fines can be appealed, thankfully. If any of them get upheld, our guys will see that money come right out of their next game check. But if the appeals go through, they’ll get notified that the fines are rescinded. It’s a tough situation for the Emerald City as we look to get back on track after a loss, and these post-game penalties just add insult to injury.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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