Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was fined $43,709 for a block he threw during the team’s Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears. That is an absolutely massive fine by NFL standards—particularly for a player who doesn’t exactly have a rep of bad behavior or poor conduct. In fact, it was the largest fine of Week 11 by a significant margin. The next closest fine was $16,391 handed to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith.
So what did St. Brown do that warranted such a huge payout? Well, on the surface, it looks like a pretty ordinary block that did not earn a flag on the play.