Two Pittsburgh Steelers players were fined for their actions against the Detroit Lions in the 29-24 win last Sunday.
Rookie defensive tackle Yahya Black was fined $5,194 for flipping his middle finger towards the Lions sideline after a run stuff in the first quarter. The NFL deemed that a ‘vulgar gesture’ and it cost Black, who is a fifth-round pick, over ten percent of his usual game checks.
Black has played with a swagger at nose tackle that is reminiscent of old school run pluggers, and that is part of his emotion showing through. His role will seemingly continue to grow.
Meanwhile, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith was fined $12,172 for tripping Lions quarterback Jared Goff during Detroit’s final drive of the game. That was called a 15-yard penalty on the field and moved the Lions into Steelers territory.
Those were the two fines against the Steelers this week, and wide receiver DK Metcalf will lose over $550,000 in the next two weeks after an altercation with a Lions fan.
Pittsburgh continues to be one of the most highly-fined teams in the NFL, and this week, along with Metcalf’s suspension, will not help the team’s cause in that department.
The Steelers led the NFL in fined money in 2024, and while they are not that high this year on that list, they still are in the top half of the league.