The NFL has fined Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell $48,620 for his late hit on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on Sunday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Mitchell is appealing the fine....
Mitchell was fined as a repeat offender, having already accumulated two fines for unnecessary roughness.
A source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Mitchell also got an additional fine for grabbing Smith's face mask on the same play. The minimum fine for such an offense is $9,115, but Mitchell might be docked $18,231
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...hit-alex-smith
No surprise - hitting a QB from behind at the knees was a blatantly cheap shot that happened in the national doubleheader game and prompted Smith to vocally complain (with good reason - seasons end on those sorts of hits). I would buy the "I got tripped" defense from other Steelers - not Mitchell - he could not control being upset because he missed tackling Smith on the blitz.
Maybe for Mitchell this will, in the words of Jack Lambert, cool his ass off. I doubt it. He is going to incur more penalties and continue the mindless celebrations. Probably a suspension later this year for good measure.