An odd peculiarity of the NFL’s roving codes of conduct has reared its head recently, and CeeDee Lamb does not understand it.
The Cowboys receiver has been fined nearly $50,000 this season for uniform violations and taunting, whereas Aaron Rodgers recently got his with a $14,650 fine for COVID-19 violations. The Packers quarterback, who has been at the center of controversy over comments made about the vaccine, had breached protocols by speaking unmasked to the media and attending a Halloween party with teammates while unvaccinated.
When asked Wednesday by ESPN if he was annoyed by the disparity, Lamb said it perplexed him more than anything else.
“Annoy me? Nah. Confuse me a lot? Very much so yes,” Lamb said. “I just don’t understand why I’m always the one getting fined for some reason. Untucked jersey. I don’t know.”
Lamb, who is in his second season with the Cowboys, was originally fined $5,150 for sporting an untucked jersey during a Week 3 game against the Eagles in September. He received a $15,450 fine the following week for the identical violation, according to ESPN
. Should it happen, the fine would increase to $46,350.
” It’s very weird, considering the next time I get caught with my jersey untucked, I heard I get fined like $50,000 or something. That’s weird,” Lamb told the outlet Wednesday.
Trying to find consistency in NFL punishments can be a dizzying experience, as some teams are currently finding out.
This week, it was reported that some clubs aren’t satisfied with the league’s handling of its investigation into the Packers and Rodgers over the violation of COVID protocols. In response to the investigation, the Packers were fined $300,000, and wide receiver Allen Lazard was fined $14,650 for attending the team Halloween party like Rodgers.
The unnamed NFL teams are said to be “pissed” about the punishment, according to Pro Football Talk, feeling it’s unfair compared to other disciplines the league has handed down in relation to COVID violations. Last year, Saints coach Sean Payton was fined $100,000 for failing to properly wear a face-covering in Week 2.
As one source bluntly put it to Pro Football Talk: “That’s bulls—t.”
With Week 10 in the NFL about to get underway Thursday, it’s only a matter of time before more even more fines — no matter how baffling they may be — are dolled out.