Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Neville Gallimore cost himself a pretty penny last Sunday when he retaliated against Giants tackle Justin Pugh for a shove while he was on the ground with a kick to the groin. The NFL sent Gallimore a fine for $9,754 following the Week 10 incident that resulted in his ejection.
His ejection was just the ninth of the season and came with less than 50 seconds remaining in the 49-17 victory for Dallas.
Most of the league’s ejections this season have been on defenders for rough contact on a defenseless receiver. The only example of an ejection for a non-defender was Cardinals LT D.J. Humphries’ Week 7 ejection for contact with an official.
The Cowboys have racked up almost a quarter of a million dollars in fines so far this season. Prior to Gallimore’s fine, seven players had fines for unsportsmanlike conduct (Dorance Armstrong, Markquese Bell, Jayron Kearse, Leighton Vander Esch, Chuma Edoga, Donovan Wilson, Jonathan Hankins). Donovan Wilson has also received a fine for a face mask penalty while Kearse received a fine for a Week 5 taunting penalty.
Pugh on Gallimore’s ejection: ‘Don’t kick somebody’
After the game, Pugh responded to questions about the attack to his private area. The former Syracuse standout told reporters that he wished the incident wouldn’t cost Gallimore money, but that’s the NFL.
“Look, he hit the quarterback late, I took exception to it, I hit him, I shouldn’t have done that when he was on the ground, pushed him and he kicked me,” Pugh said, via Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “I’ve gotten in so many fights in my career, I’m not gonna cost myself money. He’s gonna get a FedEx so I feel bad for him on that. I don’t want a guy to lose money. But you don’t kick somebody on a football field.”
Gallimore, now in his fourth year in the league, is well aware of the repercussions of his actions. That being said, the defensive tackle is heading for a nice payday at the end of the season that will easily make up for the loss. He initially signed with Dallas on a four-year rookie deal for $4.68 million, which runs out in March. He’ll either sign a new deal with the Cowboys or find a home elsewhere this offseason.
On Sunday, Gallimore had his first sack of the 2023 season. He’s now up to eight tackles with one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Cowboys drafted him with the No. 82 overall pick in the third round of the 2020 draft after a successful career at Oklahoma. Last season, playing in 16 games, he tallied 33 tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss as Dallas went 12-5.
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