Luther Burden has been fined by the NFL

On Saturday, the NFL announced that Bears wide receiver Luther Burden was fined $11,075 for unnecessary roughness on that play.

While the fine is proof that the refs were wrong, and Burden obviously won’t like having to pay that fine, it doesn’t have any implication on what actually happened in the game. The Packers ended up with a costly penalty, and the play should have had offsetting penalties at least.

Fortunately for the Packers, though, they won the game anyway — unlike a similar situation that happened in the playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Packers have also handled several fines this year

The Packers players to be fined this season have been safety Xavier McKinney, punished because of a taunting penalty during the Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions; linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper, fined $6,891 because of a facemask penalty in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders; linebacker Quay Walker, punished for a hit on a quarterback in Week 7; safety Evan Williams, fined $6,448 for unnecessary roughness by hitting the quarterback against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9; edge defender Micah Parsons, punished $12,172 for tripping in Week 10; and defensive tackle Colby Wooden was fined $6,789 for unnecessary roughness because of a facemask during the fourth quarter of Green Bay’s 27-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 11.

While it’s tough to see football players losing money like that for regular plays, at least it goes to a good cause. The fines collected are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support legends in need.

Players are notified of violations and may appeal any ruling. Appeals officers, such as former NFL players Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, and Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL/NFLPA, hear cases. The decisions made are final and binding.

The potential violations include offenses against game officials, player safety rules, flagrant personal fouls, fighting, sportsmanship, uniform rules, and gang signing. 

Last year, the Packers were among the least penalized teams in football in this area. In 2024, 543 plays resulted in fines, accounting for 1.16% of all plays during the season.

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.