Following a skirmish that occurred late in the New England Patriots 13-10 victory over the New York Jets last Thursday in a Week 2 game in Foxborough, sources indicate that three of the Jets players involved will be fined, but not suspended for the incident.
According to ESPN, the league is planning to hand a levy to three of the Jets players that had the most prominent roles in the fracas that broke out after Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith was picked off by Pats cornerback Aqib Talib for the second time in the contest.
It all began when Jets center Nick Mangold came over to tackle Talib following the pick. Talib was near the sidelines but hadn't yet gone out of bounds and as Mangold went through the air to tackle him near the Patriots sideline, the players on the Pats bench got upset and it turned into a war of words that escalated into physicality..
A video of the incident can be seen here.
Whether or not the three all are fined will most likely be known Thursday, reports ESPN.
Mangold insisted he was just making an innocent play and attempting to make a clean tackle, but the league has seen otherwise as it is prepared to fine the center.
"I made the tackle," Mangold told The New York Daily News following Thursday's game. "He was obviously along the sideline and I thought he was still in inbounds. I thought it was a good tackle and apparently it was not and that's how they saw it and it started a little ruckus. Obviously it's an intense game and an intense rivalry and tempers flare."
Tempers were indeed hot during the scrum, as Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was ejected for throwing a punch and right guard Willie Colon was ejected for pushing an official, though Colon claimed he didn't remember if he put his hands on an official or not.
"I was tired of losing, and we just can't have it," Colon said per The New York Daily News after Thursday's games. "I don't really remember [what happened] I saw Nick in there and a lot of guys running. I was trying to get in there and help my brother and that's why I reacted the way I reacted."
Whether or not he remembered it postgame, the league definitely has it fresh on their mind as they prepare to fine the three players for their involvement. ESPN reports that the fine for active involvement usually is a tax of $5,250 for a first offense under the NFL's league rules.
If the fines prove to be true, three of the Jets five starting players of the offensive line will lose money for their transgressions.
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