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- The NFL proved there’s a reason it’s earned the “No Fun League” nickname based on a story shared by T.J. Watt
- The Steelers linebacker says he was fined $10,000 over a joke he made on The Dan Patrick Show
- Read more football news here
There’s a pretty iconic photograph of former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson gearing up for the second half of the first Super Bowl ever played while taking a drag from a cigarette, and it’s safe to say things have changed a bit since that picture was snapped in 1967.
The annual posting of Len Dawson enjoying a heater and a Fresca at halftime of Super Bowl I. pic.twitter.com/384kzEhSDl
— Lee Larson (@sportsdr44) February 14, 2022
You’d be hard-pressed to find many stadiums or arenas that have thrown their support behind the Cigs Inside Movement, as I’m pretty sure virtually every locker room is now designated as a “Dart-Free Zone.” However, there are a number of other activities players also have to abstain from during a game.
That includes one that T.J. Watt seemingly admitted to violating when he appeared on The Dan Patrick Show shortly after tying Michael Strahan’s NFL record for the most sacks in a single season during Pittsburgh’s showdown against the Ravens in Week 18.
The Steelers linebacker told the host the team’s defensive line coach informed him he’d been credited with another sack in the first half, which would’ve meant he’d actually broken the record. After a couple of his teammates disputed the claim, Watt said he pulled out his cellphone in the locker room to check the stats and learned it hadn’t been counted.
This is the play in question, which sure seemed like it should’ve qualified.
https://twitter.com/CJswrld_/status/1480679126449201152
Under NFL rules, players are prohibited from using their phones during games (the policy actually kicks in 90 minutes prior to kickoff). While it seemed like a pretty harmless breach, Watt revealed the NFL apparently takes it very seriously on a recent episode of Pardon My Take
During the conversation (which kicks off around the 52:30 mark), Watt said he received a $10,000 fine after the comment came to the NFL’s attention, although he maintains he was actually joking when he said it.
When you consider Watt signed a four-year extension worth $112 million last season, I have a feeling he’ll be just fine.