The Kansas City Chiefs and tight end Peyton Hendershot have been fined by the NFL for a sideline shove that upset Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith during the Week 1 game between the two teams.
The Chiefs were docked $100,000 and Hendershot $5,472 for a play in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 27-20 victory.
As quarterback Patrick Mahomes was out of bounds on the Chiefs’ sideline after running for a first down, Smith shoved him to the ground — a play that did not draw a penalty for a late hit. As Smith was walking back towards the field defending his actions, Hendershot, who was inactive, shoved Smith from behind, leading to an exchange of words between players and Smith pointing at Hendershot, who was also not penalized.
Smith brought up Hendershot’s sideline shove after the game when speaking to reporters.
“Oh, [Mahomes] flopped. Yeah, he flopped,” Smith said. “That’s why the referees didn’t call it. It was a great no-call by the ref. But whoever 88 is, I don’t know who he is, but he better watch himself. He did a little slick push. Whoever No. 88 is, I have no idea who he is, but I’ll see him when I see him.”
According to NFL.com, the league sent all teams a memo in early August reminding them that “non-player personnel (e.g., coaches, trainers, equipment staff, security personnel) and non-participant players (e.g., inactive players, practice squad players) from making unnecessary physical contact with, or taunting or directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures at opponents, Game Officials, or representatives of the League” is prohibited.
The memo also noted that teams are responsible for the conduct of everyone on their sideline during games.
Last season, Philadelphia Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro was ejected from a Week 13 game after initiating a sideline altercation with San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. That prompted the NFL to suspend “Big Dom” for the team’s remaining five regular season games before he was allowed to return for Philadelphia’s Wild Card round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.