“I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” The now-famous words uttered by former Seattle Seahawks running back, Marshawn Lynch, have dominated the public lexicon ever since 2015. While the quote has lived in infamy, its original purpose has since been forgotten.
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At the time, Lynch was being subjected to what some may call “excessive” fines from the NFL. After hitting a breaking point, Lynch decided that his best bet was to simply default on every answer during his Super Bowl press conference. Ironically enough, that too resulted in a fine.
The NFL has made it a point to weaponize fines against players and has also used them to dis-incentivize play styles that they do not wish to encourage. Sometimes this work, other times, it results in frustration from both players and fans alike. In detailing how the process of fines work, the Las Vegas Raiders’ pass rusher, Maxx Crosby, used his skirmish with Deshaun Watson as an example.
“My rookie year, I got fined $50,000 in one game. I was a rookie… It was a back-to-back offense on a roughing. I put my nose through Deshaun Watson’s chin and speared him. I murdered Deshaun Watson.”
While some may see the humor in the situation, Crosby went on to note how detrimental some of these fines can be to a player’s financial situation, especially when in the early days of a career. “At the time… After taxes, that’s like two game checks basically.” To the NFL’s credit, Crosby admitted that the fines inevitably forced him to “…clean it up.”
The four-time pro bowler also explained how NFL player fines are paid while giving a glimpse at what the process looks like.
“It’s kind of delayed. You take a couple of weeks, it comes out “Oh, he got fined this amount of money.” That money is not taken out right away. You have to wait, have your call with the league… You get on a call, and I plead my case.”
After the appeals process has been completed, the league office will make a decision prior to informing players about the status of said appeal. “If I don’t win that appeal… It’s not like I send check. It’s just taken out of your check.”
While players who are as successful as Crosby may not have to worry about the size of their fines as much, others weren’t so lucky. Former Baltimore Ravens running back, Jamal Lewis, received the largest fine of any player in NFL history. After pleading guilty to drug charges in 2004, the NFL slammed him with a $760,000 fine.
The largest fine received by any one person in NFL history was Eddie DeBartolo. Involved in a corruption case with a former governor, the then owner of the San Francisco 49ers was hit with a one million dollar fine in addition to being banned from running the team for an entire year.
