Raiders’ Routt, Seymour & Stewart fined
Stanford Routt seen here sacking Carson Palmer, was fined by the NFL this week
Three Oakland Raiders were fined by the NFL for their actions last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
Tight end Tony Stewart got hit the hardest; penalized $25,000 for “making intentional physical contact with a game official.” Stewart claimed that linebacker Alex Hall punched him on a kickoff return and he was pleading his case to the officials after the play.
“I’d give them one percent chance that they couldn’t have seen the play, seen that happen. I was saying to the refs, ‘You didn’t see that? You didn’t see him punch me in the face? You’re not going to throw a flag?’ And the ref came up to me and put his hand on my chest and started pushing me,” Stewart said. “I just swiped his hand off my chest. Just a natural reaction.”
Richard Seymour, who was recently selected as a Pro Bowl alternate, was fined $10,000. He got flagged for a personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct against the Browns.
In total, Oakland was penalized 13 times for 126 yards last weekend. The game became volatile with scuffles and referees appeared to take control of the game by tossing flags around.
“That’s how I felt. I’ve never seen flags thrown like that,” Seymour said. “Obviously we have to understand how the game is being played and how the game is being called and play accordingly. We didn’t do a good job of that after we understood that they were going to throw it if you looked the wrong way.”
Stewart was ejected from that contest, along with cornerback Stanford Routt who was also docked $5,000 this week. He was booted off the field due to a head-butting an opponent.
“They said I head-butted him. That was it,” Routt said Thursday. “That happened four days ago. That might as well have happened four years ago, in my opinion. Know what I mean? What’s done is done.”
SECONDARY AILING
Cornerback Chris Johnson has been slowed this week in practice with a strained hamstring and starting strong safety Tyvon Branch in hindered by a ailing hip flexor.
