The league announced Thursday that Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is being fined $7,787 for hitting New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith out of bounds Sunday during the Bucs 18-17 Week 1 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium, according to NFL.com.
The 15-yard penalty for the late hit ended up costing the Bucs the game as the Jets were able to use the penalty to set up a field goal by Nick Folk and steal a victory right out from under Tampa Bay with just seconds to spare.
NFL.com reports that David plans to appeal the fine due to his belief that the hit wasn't that severe.
David's unnecessary roughness play on Smith set up the Jets winning field goal with just seven seconds left in the game, and set Tampa Bay off to a nightmarish start to the 2013-14 season.
David explained his penalty by saying he took the loss hard but believed Smith was going to stay in bounds when he went to hit him, according to CBS Sports.
Tampa Bay (0-1) looks to bounce back in its home opener Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (1-0), who topped the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) 23-17 in Week 1.
The Jets' (1-0) win gave Smith a victory in his first career NFL regular-season game. Smith had a 63.2 completion percentage and threw for one touchdown and one interception and 256 yards in the contest.
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