One NFL star is confused as to why he received a stiffer punishment from the NFL than Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a frivolous violation.
ESPN reports that CeeDee Lamb has been fined nearly $50,000 this season for various violations ranging from low socks to taunting. In one instance, he was fined more than $15,000 for failing to tuck in his jersey during a game. Meanwhile, the NFL has only docked Rodgers $14,650 of his $33.5 million salary for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols several times during the first nine weeks of the season. When considering Rodgers' transgressions, Lamb was deeply confused as to why the star quarterback's punishment was so light.
"Annoy me? Nah. Confuse me a lot? Very much so yes," Lamb told ESPN when asked if he was annoyed that he had received heftier fines than Rodgers.
"I just don't understand why I'm always the one getting fined for some reason. Untucked jersey. I don't know."
If Lamb plays with an untucked jersey in his next game, he could receive a fine that triples the financial burden placed on Rodgers for violating health protocols during a pandemic.
"Like, I don't know what I need to do honestly," Lamb explained to ESPN.
"I just know for sure I'm more conscious of it. ... Post-tackle or anything, I guess I got to look down, pull my jersey down. Stuff like that. It's weird. It's very weird, considering the next time I get caught with my jersey untucked, I heard I get fined like $50,000 or something. That's weird."
The light punishment that Rodgers received has confused more than just a few members of the Dallas Cowboys. A number of sportswriters and athletes took issue with the discrepancy in fines as well.
"CeeDee Lamb was fined $20k for having his jersey untucked last week. Aaron Rodgers was fined $14k for ignoring COVID protocols all season. I get the enforcement rules are different, but it just looks bad and doesn't add up," former NFL quarterback Chris Simms tweeted.
"[This] makes the NFL look ridiculous," former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy added.
Despite criticism from much of the league, the NFL will allow Rodgers to play this Sunday if he continues to pass COVID-19 screenings. He will not face any further fines unless he continues to disobey league rules or the NFL uncovers more past COVID-19 violations.
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