Interview Joke Led To Unusual Fine For Steelers Star T.J. Watt
Watt probably should have kept this joke in the chamber
An incriminating joke made during an interview resulted in T.J. Watt’s pocket becoming a little lighter.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” last month, Watt said he checked his phone during halftime of the Week 18 Steelers-Ravens game to find out if he officially was credited for a sack when he tackled Tyler Huntley behind the line of scrimmage. Had Watt been tallied for a sack — which he was not — he would have become the NFL’s new record holder for the single-season sack record.
The problem? NFL players using their cell phones 90 minutes before a game and during a contest is prohibited by league rules. Watt surely is aware of this rule, and he apparently was kidding around when he told Dan Patrick he checked his device at halftime. But that didn’t stop the NFL from issuing the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year a five-figure fine.
“I jokingly said that I checked my phone of halftime of the Baltimore game, and the NFL took it as a real saying and fined me $10,000,” Watt recently said on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk. “It’s just one of those things where I’m allowed to have my phone on me at all 90 minutes before the game, or during halftime.”
Of course, brushing off a $10K fine is pretty easy for a person who signed a four-year, $112 million deal — with $80 million guaranteed — back in September.
