Eagles linebacker Ernie Sims might have gotten away with a helmet-to-helmet hit on Titans running back Chris Johnson but it seems like Sims didn’t leave Tennessee without a fine.
On Wednesday -- more than a week after the Eagles embarrassing 37-19 Music City Meltdown -- Sims was hit with a $50,000 fine for his hit on Titans wideout Lavelle Hawkins.
The fine was issued because Hawkins was a defenseless receiver when Sims hit him.
And this might not be the last time the Eagles hard-hitting linebacker gets slammed with a fine or even possibly a suspension.
I’ll let the AP explain:
Sims is a repeat offender, having been fined twice for unnecessary roughness, on Dec. 28, 2008 and on Sept. 13, 2009, both while with the Detroit Lions.
The fine was issued by NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson, who told Sims that “further offenses will result in an escalation of fines up to and including suspension.”
Hawkins' only catch in the game was for 5 yards in the third quarter.
The hit in question wasn't when Sims tackled Hawkins on that catch but on another play. Now the question is how many more hard tackles he can make before the NFL benches him for a game.
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As for Sims he spoke on Thursday, telling ESPN.com that the fine was "outrageous."
"I really, really hate the fact that I got fined $50,000," he said. "I don't care how much money you make, that's a ton of money, money I worked hard for my whole life. Just for anybody to take it away from me for something that I do on the field, I just think it's crazy. But this is the league that I play in and I've got to respect that, so I'm just going to go out there and keep playing football."
