Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick Hit With 5-Figure Fine Amid Social Media Whispers

As NFL Football Operations announced Week 16 fines on December 28, there was only one Pittsburgh Steelers player on the list — star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The Steelers have already moved on to Week 18 because of the wonky holiday schedule, but Fitzpatrick’s fine was imposed because of an “unnecessary roughness (facemask)” action against the Baltimore Ravens two games ago. The defensive playmaker was penalized $11,255 for this action.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Fitzpatrick, and this forfeiture is just the cherry on top.

Multiple Steelers defenders have hinted that one or two teammates have not been doing their jobs on that side of the football in recent weeks, and the star DB is one of the leading suspects on social media — although this rumor has not been confirmed.

“You could tell [Steelers players] wanted to say something about somebody specific, but they bit their tongue,” veteran beat reporter Mark Kaboly said on the Pat McAfee Show on December 26. He specifically mentioned players going “outside of their capabilities” to play “hero ball.”

On X, Kaboly highlighted Fitzpatrick, cornerback Donte Jackson, defensive back Damontae Kazee and cornerback Cameron Sutton as players that have been involved in clear defensive breakdowns in recent games.

Steelers Wire contributor Andrew Vasquez also weighed in on this topic on December 27.

“Fans can only speculate on who the mysterious struggling defender is,” he wrote, “but there could be several names to investigate until more information is available, such as FS Minkah Fitzpatrick—whose playmaking ability has noticeably regressed in 2024.”

Fitzpatrick’s name has yet to be cleared, but another player might be higher on the list of potential suspects.

On December 27, 93.7 The Fan producer Austin Bechtold relayed that “Steelers [PennLIVE] reporter [Nick Farabaugh] @FarabaughFB thinks Cam Sutton is the main man Steelers defensive players are most likely pointing fingers at by not communicating and covering well enough.”

Sutton joined the unit halfway through the season, so this does make some sense as Pittsburgh’s defensive collapse aligns much more with his arrival.

In the same post, Bechtold added that “Minkah Fitzpatrick has tried to play some ‘hero ball’ the last few weeks.” Referencing Kaboly’s appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Although Farabaugh did not confirm or deny Bechtold’s post, he did respond to a reply from a fan asking if cornerback Cory Trice Jr. could be the weak link.

“Cory played the flat too aggressively on the [Rashod] Bateman TD in BAL but I didn’t see anything obvious otherwise as far as communication issues,” Farabaugh responded. “He was really good this week honestly.”

While seemingly ruling out Trice, Farabaugh’s comment also appears to confirm his belief that Sutton and Fitzpatrick are the two most likely culprits — with Sutton being the No. 1 suspect at this time.

Of course, this is just one beat reporter’s theory. In no way does it verify the inner workings of the Steelers’ locker room.

Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey Fined After Steelers Clash

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was also fined after the Week 16 matchup with the Steelers.

According to the gameday accountability page, Humphrey was fined the exact same amount as Fitzpatrick on December 28 — $11,255.

His financial penalty was issued because of an “unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting)” action, however, rather than unnecessary roughness. Per Football Operations, Humphrey’s taunting fine occurred in the fourth quarter.

There were no other fines to report from Steelers-Ravens in Week 16.