Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington said Wednesday that he was fined by the NFL for an illegal crackback block he delivered at some point during this past Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Washington, though, said he did not know what play the league was referencing in delivering notice of the fine and that he planned to appeal it.
“They got the wrong guy,” the 6-foot-7, 264-pound Washington said.
Steelers' Darnell Washington's fine is probably for this play. Locked up with Khalil Mack, eventually blocks him on the side/back area into a pile. Kinda soft, but blocking someone from the side into a pile will catch the NFL's attention. https://t.co/xsAKy5ZSjmpic.twitter.com/K4yzjJ21fF
— Brogan Noey (@BroganNoey) September 25, 2024
While Washington indicated his fine was for $6,000, according to the official NFL schedule of fines as part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with its players, a “blindside block” comes with a fine of $16,883 for a first offender.
Official confirmation of fines levied typically does not become available to media until late in the week after a given game. Players usually are notified formally of fines Wednesdays after a game.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.