Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was slapped by the NFL with a fine of $11,255 . The fine was given due to the taunting of Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in a game on December 22.
During the first quarter of the December 22 game, Bears’ Stevenson shoved Williams to their sideline after the latter caught a short pass. Then, Williams spun the football towards the direction of Stevenson, hitting the latter on his foot. Williams was immediately given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Later on, Williams was given a fine of $11,255 due to taunting. Per the NFL rulebook, taunting is defined as “using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
Footage showed that the ball did hit Stenevsopn in the foot, but fans have argued that it could be anything but a contact that would warrant a conduct penalty, much more a hefty fine.
In a post-game statement, Williams touched on the incident, explaining how it was not taunting, at least from his perspective.
“I didn’t say nothing to him and he didn’t say nothing to me,” Williams said. “I just spun the ball. I think the flag came from the overreaction from their sideline. Everybody was like, ‘Oh, oh oh.’ But people spin the ball when they make big catches. You probably watch the game and see the ball get spun 12+ times today. We didn’t say nothing to each other today.”
“We just go out there and play football and emotions run high when you’re in the game,” the Lions WR added. “He wants to win, I want to win, so we’re going to do everything possible to win.”
Jameson Williams finished the game against the Chicago Bears with five passes and recorded a career-high 143 yards and an 82-yard touchdown. Overall, the Lions ate the Bears with a final score of 34-17.
Jameson Williams’ Thanksgiving Altercation with Bears’ Stevenson
For fans of the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, the recent December encounter between Jameson Williams and Tyrique Stevenson felt like a mirror of what happened on the Thanksgiving Day game between the two teams.
During their game, Williams made a catch near the sides of the Bears. As he starts to go out of bounds, Stevenson seemingly tripped him. William’s response to the alleged action was to throw the ball to Stevenson’s face. He was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for it.
After review, the NFL reached a decision and gave Stevenson a fine of $19,697 for the altercation with Jameson Williams.
