The NFL fined New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman for the second time this season, according to a report by ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.
Reiss reported Wednesday morning the league fined Edelman $9,115 for a facemask during Sunday’s 35-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, the league also reduced Edelman’s first fine — for an illegal hit on Arizona Cardinals linebacker Deone Bucannon back in Week 1 — by $9,000, per Reiss, meaning the wideout more or less came out even.
Edelman wasn’t penalized for a facemask at any point during Sunday’s contest, but the supplemental discipline might have been the result of a play Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick complained about after the game.
Officials flagged Kirkpatrick for grabbing Edelman’s facemask late in the fourth quarter, but he argued the penalty should have went to Edelman.
“I felt like on the facemask call, (Edelman) grabbed my facemask first,” Kirkpatrick said, via WEEI.com. “You see my head plain as day turned to the side. They obviously picked on me and said it was my fault.”
Judging by photo of the play in question taken by USA TODAY Sports Images’ Stew Milne, both players appeared to be at fault.
Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict, meanwhile, likely won’t be suspended for his low hit on Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett or his stomp on running back LeGarrette Blount. Burfict is expected to receive “a slap on the wrist for now,” a Bengals source told ESPN’s Ed Werder.
Photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
