Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward already hurt his team after taunting Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in last week’s game, and now he’s going to face further punishment.
The NFL on Saturday announced that Heyward was fined for taunting Allen, which he later claimed was the result of some extracurricular action from the Bills quarterback. The league saw otherwise, issuing several fines for the game but none toward Allen in the 26-7 loss for the Steelers.
Cam Heyward Hit With Five-Figure Fine
The NFL announced that Heyward would face a $11,593 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct after he taunted Allen. The incident came after Allen threw a touchdown on a fourth-down play, leading to the confrontation between the pair.
Heyward was flagged on the play and the Bills enforced the penalty on the kickoff, allowing them to take advantage of a loophole in the new kickoff rules. Bills kicker Matt Prater kicked the ball out of bounds, drawing a penalty that forced the Steelers to start with the ball on the 25-yard line.
The Bills held the Steelers to a three-and-out, forcing a punt as the Steelers struggled on offense. The loss dropped the Steelers to 6-6, putting their playoff hopes in doubt. While the Steelers remain tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the division lead, their hopes of staying in the wild-card race suffered a serious blow, and the division may be their only hope of reaching the postseason.
Cam Heyward Accused Josh Allen of Dirty Play
Speaking to reporters after Sunday’s game, Heyward accused Allen of kneeing him in the stomach after a play.
“Being kneed in my stomach,” Heyward said when asked about why he was so angry with the Bills quarterback, via Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly. “Then I was jawing back and forth. Ticked off the entire game because, as a quarterback, they’re protected and I’m not. It just pisses me off.”
Heyward was asked whether Allen kneed him intentionally, and the Steelers defensive tackle claimed that Allen admitted as much.
“Yes, he even said after, ‘I had to do something to get you off of me,’” Heyward said.
Replays of the play in question did not appear to show Allen making contact with Heyward or any other Steelers defender, however, and the Bills quarterback was not among those fined by the league on Saturday.
The game was a testy affair, with tensions flaring often between the teams. The league did issue other fines, including three others for the Steelers. Payton Wilson was given two unnecessary roughness fines while DK Metcalf was punished for what the league called a “violent gesture.”
Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis was also fined for lowering his helmet in a hit and edge rusher A.J. Epenesa was fined for taunting.
There was even some vicarious drama between the teams later in the week after the Steelers cut ties with veteran cornerback Darius Slay. The Bills claimed him off waivers, but Slay said he did not want to move his family to play in Buffalo, leading the team to place him on the reserve list.
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