The fallout continued Saturday from a controversial confrontation last Sunday between Buffalo Bills reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen and four-time first-team All-Pro defensive lineman Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 36-year-old Heyward and 29-year-old Allen exchanged angry words at several points during the game.
With 8:49 to go in the third quarter of what turned out to be the Bills’ one-sided 26-7 win over the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, Heyward drew a 15-yard taunting penalty for jawing at Allen. On Saturday, the NFL announced that it saw Heyward’s taunt as worthy of further punishment, slapping the 15-year veteran with a fine of $11,593 for what it called the unsportsmanlike conduct incident.
The fine was only the third of Heyward’s lengthy career — a career that appears destined to gain him entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2014, Heyward’s fourth year in the league, the former Ohio State Buckeye was hit with a $22,050 fine for verbally abusing an official.
The following year, Heyward was assessed $5,787 for a uniform violation. That one was especially absurd. The NFL fined Heyward for a message inscribed in his eye black that was intended as a tribute to his late father, who died from cancer in 2006.
Heyward Accuses Allen of Starting it
The confrontations between Heyward and Allen appeared puzzling during the game, but afterward, Heyward offered an explanation — accusing Allen of an unsportsmanlike act of his own. Specifically, Heyward accused Allen of kneeing him in the stomach.
Heyward also claimed that Allen admitted the violent act, stating, “He even said after, ‘I had to do something to get you off me.’”
Allen was asked on Wednesday to respond to Heyward’s allegation, but he demurred, offering a statement that recalled a famous remark by legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“Listen, I got a lot of respect for Cam Heyward, but we’re on to the Bengals,” Allen said in response, as quoted by The Sporting News.
On Saturday, the NFL revealed its own decision on the allegation.
NFL Rules Allen’s Action Not Worthy of Fine
Whether Allen actually threw a knee into Heyward’s midsection or not remains an open question. But even if he did, on Saturday the NFL announced its ruling on the incident, deciding that Allen would not be charged a fine.
In fact, Allen, despite having played seven fewer years than Heyward in the NFL, has been fined twice as many times. His four fines start with a $7,017 bill for flinging a football into the stands, which the NFL deems an “impermissible celebration.” That incident came during a game against the Miami Dolphins in 2019, Allen’s second season in the league.
Earlier this year, Allen was charged a $14,491 fine for making what the NFL called a “violent gesture” in the Bills’ stunning Week 9 defeat of their arch-rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. In between those two, Allen was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct in the AFC Championship game against Chiefs in 2021, a game won by the Chiefs 38-24.
Allen was fined again in 2023 for taunting in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Added up, Allen’s career fines have cost him $47,435 — but he will not have to pay another one this week.
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