The Dallas Cowboys appeared to have last weekend’s game against the winless New York Jets well in hand heading into the fourth quarter, with a 30-6 lead. But that didn’t stop emotions from running high anyway, and a Dallas two-time Pro Bowl defender finds his wallet just a bit lighter on Saturday, after the NFL Operations Office announced its “gameday accountability” actions â better known as fines â for Week Five.
Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys’ 2021 All-Pro cornerback, was fined $12,172 by the league for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he incurred in the fourth quarter of that game at MetLife Stadium, with the league describing the more specific reason for the fine as “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.”
Scuffle Between Diggs, Jets Rookie
What happened was this: with 13:47 remaining in the game and the Cowboys still on top by 24 points, Jets quarterback Justin Fields tried a run up the middle on third down and one yard to go â but he didn’t make it. The Cowboys defense stopped Fields for no gain.
But Diggs was not involved in the play that halted Fields and the Jets because he was otherwise occupied, getting himself in a fight â more accurately described as a scuffle â with the Jets’ rookie wide receiver Arian Smith, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia.
Diggs was a second-round pick in 2020 for the Cowboys, out of Alabama.
The former Bulldogs standout apparently caught Diggs with a head butt on the play. But the officials either did not see that offense or did not consider it significant. Smith was not penalized on the play, nor did the NFL later slap him with a fine.
Diggs Fine Was First Offense
The NFL may levy fines on players for offenses that the officials failed to flag during play, and in fact, the league reviews every play of every game to look for uncalled violations, as well as to review the penalties that were flagged by officials.
What happened next, however, did catch the officials’ attention. Aggravated by the Smith head butt, Diggs responded by taking a swing at the Jets rookie. That impulsive action by Diggs drew a 15-yard penalty, but the call did not affect the Jets’ drive because the refs chose to enforce the yardage between downs.
The $12,172 fine imposed on Diggs was a first offense penalty. If Diggs is called for a second penalty in the same category this season, the fine â should the NFL choose to hit him with one â would be $17,968.
In fact, the call was just Diggs’ second penalty of any kind this season, and his first to be accepted. In the Cowboys’ Week Four game, which ended in a 40-40 tie with the Green Bay Packers, Diggs received flag for defensive holding in the third quarter. But the Packers opted to decline the penalty.
Diggs Hit With Heftier Fine in 2024
After suffering more frequent penalties in the first three seasons of his career, Diggs has cleaned up his game more recently. He was called for just two last season, plus another that was declined, though two of his 2024 called came for unnecessary roughness.
Diggs was fined for one of those calls, a leg-whip in Week One of 2024 against the Cleveland Browns. That one cost Diggs $16,883.
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