Mark Sanchez got picked by the Saints' Darren Sharper on Sunday in New Orleans, and when Sharper was returning the interception, Sanchez decided to give the lowest block possible to Saints' linebacker Jonathan Vilma. And for his action, Sanchez was fined $5,000 by the league, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Sharper's interception ended up being returned for a 99-yard touchdown in the Saints' 24-10 win over the Jets, but the block was deemed a cheap shot by the NFL, which resulted in the fine.
Sanchez called Vilma following the game to apologize on Tuesday for a play he realizes he shouldn't have made.
"I told him, 'You know, I’m running down the field. I’m upset after the pick," Sanchez told the Star-Ledger. "I said, 'Hey dude, I didn’t know what I was doing.' I’m just trying to create a pile, just push somebody into the boundary. I don’t want to be the guy on film that’s quitting on the play. At the same time, I don’t want to take that guy on head up and then get in trouble for putting myself in danger. So I just told him that I got to be smart about that. And he said, ‘No problem at all. I understand. And good luck.' He was a great guy about it and a real class guy."
