It's not too often that an NFL team manages to sustain excellence for a grueling 17-game regular season grind and an unforgiving postseason gauntlet. But the Philadelphia Eagles did just that, mostly stomping their way through the opposition for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign en route to a Super Bowl date against the Kansas City Chiefs. Thus, it's no surprise that players such as Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson would give it their all in one of the biggest games a professional football player could ever find themselves in.
No player would dare relent a single yard to their opposition. With the biggest NFL silverware on the line, they would add extra oomph to every run, every throw, and every hit. That's exactly what Gardner-Johnson did. But he may have put more juice on his tackle than NFL officials want to permit.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL recently fined CJ Gardner-Johnson $14,111 for “lowering the head to initiate contact with the helmet” during a hit against Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco with a little over four minutes to go in the fourth period and the score tied at 35 apiece. Gardner-Johnson then couldn't help but sarcastically laugh at NFL's decision to punish him days after the big game.
“Tell me why I got fined from the hit in Super Bowl 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,” Gardner-Johnson wrote on his official Twitter account.
CJ Gardner-Johnson's camp will appeal the fine, according to the Eagles safety's agent, Kevin Conner.
As perplexed as Gardner-Johnson may be, one could see why the NFL decided to levy some form of punishment to the Eagles safety. With Isiah Pacheco carrying the ball in the middle of the field, Gardner-Johnson came charging right at him, bumping into him helmet-first with a full head of steam.
Nonetheless, this fine only serves to add insult to injury for CJ Gardner-Johnson. Not only did he lose the Super Bowl, 38-35, following the Chiefs' brilliant late clock management, his wallet also became $14,111 lighter, barring the verdict on his appeal. But as a defender with his level of pride, he sure would remain proud of the big hit he dealt, fine notwithstanding.
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