Cam Akers is the latest Minnesota Vikings player to receive a fine from the NFL, with his adding insult to injury since he suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture in last week's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The running back was fined $8,065 for taunting, which was a bigger penalty than Atlanta cornerback Dee Alford got or his vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that concussed Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn.
Akers' infraction occurred when he de-cleated defensive lineman Kentavius Street as a lead blocker on one of Josh Dobbs' incredible scrambles in the second quarter. Akers pointed at Street with his finger after the play and was not flagged for it, but still got a call from the league office a few days later.
This is to be expected as the NFL has fined players for plays that didn't have a penalty called this season. For example, Justin Jefferson was fined $10,927 for a "Too Small" celebration after a touchdown in a Week 4 win over the Carolina Panthers.
But the circumstances were different in the case of Alford, who was fined $4,853 for unnecessary roughness.
Alford's infraction came in the second quarter when Osborn caught a pass in the middle of the field. As Osborn was coming down with the catch, Alford annihilated him with a helmet-to-helmet hit that wound up knocking Osborn out of the game with a concussion.
Osborn was down for several minutes after the hit and although he was able to stand, he needed a cart to get off the field. Osborn has since cleared concussion protocol but reports this Sunday suggest that the Vikings will err on the side of caution and hold him out against the Saints..
How fines are issued has become an interesting case study at the midway point of the season. The image that the NFL cares more about bruised egos than brain injuries is a mixed message and without reasoning for each fine, the amounts have become more random as the season has gone along.
Is a violent hit in a violent game worthy of a larger fine than a player celebrating clean block by letting the opposing player know about it? In this case, the answer is no.
More must-reads: