Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has been fined by the NFL again this season, though this latest violation is less severe than previous ones.
Williams was fined $11,255 for unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting) during the Lions’ Week 16 win over the Chicago Bears.
Early in the game, Williams caught a five-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff and ran for a first down. However, after the play, Williams and Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson exchanged words on the sideline, ending with Williams spinning the football at Stevenson’s feet.
The Lions were penalized 15 yards for the incident, and head coach Dan Campbell gave Williams a stern talking-to on the sidelines.
“Like anyone, he needed an a**-chewing,” Campbell told former Lions offensive lineman T.J. Lang after the game.
This wasn’t the first time Williams and Stevenson had a run-in.
During the fourth quarter of the Lions’ Thanksgiving game, Williams was penalized 15 yards for taunting Stevenson. After catching a pass from Goff, Williams threw the football into the cornerback’s face, drawing the penalty.
The penalty gave the Bears a chance to stay in the game and attempt a comeback, but they ultimately lost 23-20. About a week later, the NFL fined Stevenson $19,697 for his role in the incident after cameras appeared to show him tripping Williams as he got to his feet.
Despite the repeated incidents, Stevenson insists there’s no bad blood between the two.
“There’s no bad blood, no nothing. It’s a game of football,” Stevenson said after Sunday’s game. “Attitudes and testosterone take a part of it. But other than that, nothing. I don’t know him. I don’t want to get to know him. That’s it. We just — he plays for the Lions. I play for the Bears. That’s it.”
In addition to scrutiny over firearm possession — an investigation the Detroit Police Department closed without finding any wrongdoing — the NFL suspended Williams for two games after he tested positive for performan
ce-enhancing drugs.