NFL News: Richard Seymour Fined $25K For Hitting Big Ben
In a game that was full of physical contact and penalties, Richard Seymour earned one of the more inappropriate ones.
In a 35-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Oakland Raiders’ defensive linesman hit Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger with an open hand in the jaw.
He later said that "I'm not sure why he [Roethlisberger] ran up on me. I just turned around and it was a natural reaction."
However, this natural reaction caused “Big Rich” to be ejected from the game, and a $25,000 fine imposed on him, but he was not suspended.
The punch occurred late in the second quarter after Roethlisberger passed to Emmanuel Sanders for a 22-yard touchdown. As Seymour was talking with some of the Steelers, Roethlisberger ran up and seemed to say something to Seymour before being hit him in
the jaw.
Roethlisberger fell but was uninjured and stayed to play the rest of the game. Seymour was subjected to a personal foul and was ejected from the game.
"I apologize to my teammates, fans and coach for my actions in yesterday’s game," Seymour said Monday. "This is an emotional game that sometimes triggers frustrated reactions when you are out on the field… I reacted in a way that was unprofessional to the
game and not in line with the respect that goes along with wearing the NFL shield and for that I apologize."
Unsurprisingly, some of the Raiders were upset with the call, saying that it was a physical game from the start, which is true. Pittsburgh had 14 penalties for 163 yards, including six personal fouls.
"I don't like the ejection," safety Mike Mitchell said. "I'll say that. That's frustrating. They were doing stuff to us, they just caught the one act that we do, and they want to throw a guy out. Which I think is huge. He's one of our better players, a leader
on our team. We want to turn everything into a street fight and we didn't win it. So shame on us."
Tom Cable, the Raiders’ head coach, said that Seymour knows he made a bad decision and that his team needs to do a better job preserving its restraint, even in a bodily game like the one last Sunday.
"He texted me last night and feels bad about it and knows he was wrong, and we'll move forward," Cable said Monday, before Seymour’s punishment was announced.
Luckily for the 5-5 Raiders, they now know that they will not be without Seymour in their next game against the equally matched 5-5 Miami Dolphins.
Big Ben and the 7-3 Steelers will play against the 2-8 Buffalo Bills.
Hopefully, Seymour will be able to stay in the entire game.
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