National Football League

Patriots coach Belichick fined $50K

Published Sep. 26, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Ross Jones

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 for his conduct following Sunday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Belichick was seen grabbing a referee following a game-winning kick by Ravens rookie Justin Tucker. Baltimore won, 31-30.

"It was inappropriate for me to contact the official. I take responsibility for what happened. I accept the discipline and I apologize for the incident Sunday night in Baltimore."  Belichick said after the fine was announced.

Belichick and the rest of the NFL coaches may calm down a bit now that the league and the regular officials reached an agreement. The referees will return in Week 4 starting with Thursday's game.

Belichick also said earlier this week that he didn't mean to disrespect the official and just wanted to ask whether the field goal would be reviewed on instant replay.

The NFL has fined several coaches this season because of their conduct toward replacement referees. On Wednesday, Washington Redskins assistant coach Kyle Shanahan was fined $25,000 for confronting an official in a stadium tunnel after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last week, Denver Broncos coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio were fined for berating officials in a Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Belichick was fined $500,000 in 2007 for his involvement in the Patriots' Spygate scandal.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League