The Detroit Lions took down the Chicago Bears in the NFL’s Week 13 on Thursday, November 28, winning 23-30 and putting to rest any dreams for the Bears to snack on that Thanksgiving turkey on the field. Not only did the Lions tower over Caleb Williams and the Bears, but one Bears player also suffered a hefty fine from the game.
Chicago Bears’ Tyrique Stevenson vs. Detroit Lions’ Jameson Williams
The NFL announced on Saturday, December 7, that Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is being fined $19,697 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The incident happened in the fourth quarter of the game. At the time, less than 10 minutes were left in the Thanksgiving Day matchup, and Williams was forced out of bounds on the Bears’ sideline. Stevenson was close to him, and Williams got slapped with a 15-yard penalty for throwing the ball at Stevenson, which hit Stevenson in the face. Because of that penalty, the Lions had to just go for a field goal for that drive.
So, that was all on Williams, and he admitted that. But, afterwards, Stevenson said something perhaps spicy to to Williams, which is what caused a response from Williams to reply and throw the ball at him.
Looking at the play, you can also see that Stevenson tripped Williams when he was out of bounds. The NFL office noted these actions and is fining Stevenson.
In a December 8 feature for SideLion Report, NFL analyst and expert Brad Berreman noted, “It seemed unlikely Williams would draw any further penalty for the play in question when fines were doled league-wide out for Week 13 indiscretions. That was confirmed on Saturday, but Stevenson did draw a notable fine.”
Berreman added, “Stevenson was fined $19,697 for tripping Williams. That’s a bigger fine than, as an example, Lions safety Brian Branch has received for anything he’s been singularly fined for this season. The league found Stevenson was in the wrong and Williams was not, as any objective analysis of the play would have confirmed.”
“While Williams not being fined is an acknowledgment of him not being responsible for starting the incident, Williams’ response of tossing the football at Stevenson was certainly worthy of the personal foul penalty,” Erik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit added, “which is why he addressed the team and apologized for his reaction.”
Detroit Lions’ Jameson Williams Owned Up to Penalty
After the Bears game, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Williams apologized to the team for his flag play.
“Yeah, and look, I’ll be honest with you, that’s already cleaned up. It’s already cleaned up,” Campbell said. “So, we’re good. And as a matter of fact, Jamo got right in front of the team a minute ago, unsolicited, and wanted to apologize to his teammates. That’s big, that’s growth. So all good.”
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff also gave Williams props for apologizing.
“He’s right where he needs to be, he’s doing a good job,” Goff said. “I know that was a mistake by him, but I’m proud of him, the way he handled it, the way he stood up and took responsibility. We’ll move on, there’s no problems there.”
