The NFL has fined Lions WR Jameson Williams for his sideline interaction with Bears DB Tyrique Stevenson.
For the second time this year, a sideline interaction between Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams and Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson has drawn a fine from the NFL. Back on Thanksgiving, the NFL fined Stevenson for tripping Williams on the sideline, even though it was Williams who was penalized for throwing the ball at Stevenson’s face. This time, Williams earned both the fine and the penalty.
Williams was officially fined $11,255 for taunting after officials deemed he was spinning the ball toward the Bears sideline. Prior to the action, Williams caught a short pass and was shoved a little late out of bounds by Stevenson. Here’s a replay of Williams spinning the ball:
The NFL fined #Lions WR Jameson Williams $11,255 for unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting) — spinning the ball at the feet of #Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson, who also had a run-in with Williams on Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/eY5N7JH6vn
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 28, 2024
The all-22 film of the play shows the spinning of the ball clearer and reveals the ball does hit Stevenson in the foot.
Not sure if anyone has seen the all-22 of Jameson Williams’ spinning of the football, but it does hit Tyrique Stevenson in the foot (if that matters). pic.twitter.com/HDHylFwT9H
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) December 28, 2024
The NFL rulebook calls taunting, “using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
After the game, Williams believed officials were overreacting to a fairly common act from NFL receivers, and it was the Bears’ sideline reaction that goaded the refs into throwing the flag (both officials on the sideline threw their flags).
“I didn’t say nothing to him and he didn’t say nothing to me,” Williams said. “I just spun the ball. I think the flag came from the overreaction from their sideline. Everybody was like, ‘Oh, oh oh.’ But people spin the ball when they make big catches. You probably watch the game and see the ball get spun 12+ times today. We didn’t say nothing to each other today.”
The television broadcast showed Lions coach Dan Campbell having a chat with Williams after the play. In his post-game press conference, Campbell praised Williams for how he responded following the penalty.
“Just get it out of the way, get back on the field, and he was good,” Campbell said. “That’s what I love about him. He doesn’t get bent out of shape. He just (goes), ‘I got it,’ and he goes back in, and it doesn’t affect the way he plays the rest of the game. It was great, man. I really love where he’s at right now.”
No other Lions or Bears players were fined in Week 16.
