Bill Belichick Fined $50K After Making Contact With Replacement Referee
Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, was fined $50,000 by the NFL for making "intermissible physical contact with an official," according to the league.
The fine stems from Belichick grabbing the arm of a replacement referee who was leaving the field last Sunday after the Baltimore Ravens kicked a questionable winning field goal at the end of Sunday's game. The kick resulted in the Ravens becoming the victors of the game with a score of 31-30.
On Monday, Belichick explained his reason for making physical contact with the official which resulted in the fine announced by the NFL Wednesday.
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"I've coached in this league a long time. I've never been penalized, never had any incidents with officials or anything like that," Belichick explained in an ESPN report Monday. "I have never meant any disrespect or in any way tried to abuse or be disrespectful to the officials and the job that they do. I was trying to get an explanation for obviously an important call/play in that game. That's the No. 1 thing between coaches and officials, it's always at the forefront, just communication of what's going on and what's happening."
NFL fans took to Twitter to offer mixed reactions to the news of Belichick being fined.
"Its not like he touched a real ref," one NFL fan tweeted Wednesday.
Another person thought the fine was not too hefty for a high-paid NFL coach.
"The NFL fined Bill Belichick $50,000 aka .007% of his annual income, that's like fining me 20 bucks," another fan speculated on the social networking website.
Even before news of the fine broke, Belichick seemed to accept the NFL's decision about his punishment.
"Whatever the league decides to do, I'll respect," the Patriots' coach said in an ESPN report.
