THE NFL has made a decision on punishing Germaine Pratt for one of his actions last week.
The Cincinnati Bengals linebacker was cited for a tackle on a Pittsburgh Steelers rival in Week 18.
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Pratt, 28, went in to tackle running back Najae Harris.
But he led with his head in making the tackle, which is a banned move in the NFL.
Pratt was fined for “unnecessary roughness” after the helmet-to-helmet hit.
He was given a $22,511 fine by the league as a result.
Cincinnati won the game 19-17 to keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive.
But they were extinguished the following night when the Denver Broncos beat a below-strength Kansas City Chiefs team to seal the No. 7 seed.
Cincinnati finished with five straight victories to end with a 9-8 record.
But it wasn’t enough to reach the post-season.
Pratt has spent his entire NFL career with the Bengals.
He was drafted in the third round in 2019 with the No. 72 overall pick.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported news of the fine for Pratt.
And fans saw the irony of the timing, given the Bengals season was over seven days beforehand.
One said, “Can’t imagine being fined the money you need to plan your trip to Cancun after missing the playoffs. Ouch.”
Another posted, “Imagine being in Cancun and finding out you just got fined $22k.”
While a third said, “At least he didn’t get suspended and he’s able to play this weekend.”
What happens to the fine money?
THE NFL regularly fines athletes tens of thousands of dollars every week during the season.
But where does the money go?
The NFL claims about $4 million a year has been used to support worthy causes since 2011.
According to the NFL operations website, “The fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
And a fourth commented, “It’d be nice if they called this during the game. Where is replay assist? Are the Steelers just not included in this?”
There were also three other fines announced by Pelissero on Saturday.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was hit with the exact same punishment as Pratt for also using his helmet on a play.
His teammate Drake London was fined $11,255 for taunting after scoring a touchdown.
And Arizona Cardinals cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was fined $11,817 for a fight with San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings.
