Brandon Pettigrew, Stefan Logan Also Fined For Actions During Saints Game

On Thursday, it came out that Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson was fined $7,500 for his facemask penalty against the New Orleans Saints. (He is going to appeal the fine, by the way.) On Friday, news of two more fines from that game came out: tight end Brandon Pettigrew was docked $25,000 for "abusive conduct toward game officials" and returner Stefan Logan was slapped with a $7,500 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Pettigrew's fine comes as no surprise considering he was flagged for making contact with an official during the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game. Even though the contact wasn't severe by any means, touching an official is a big no-no. Pettigrew has already apologized for the lapse in judgment, but now he will have to open up his checkbook as well.

Logan's fine stems from the penalty he received for tossing the ball at a Saints player after a punt return was over. Was that an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? Yes. But was it really worthy of a fine? I personally don't think so.

What puzzles me even more is that wide receiver Titus Young was not fined for shoving a Saints player in the head right in front of an official. He was penalized for it, but he did not receive a fine. I don't think what he did was worthy of one, either. But if you're going to fine a player for tossing a ball at an opponent, why wouldn't somebody who actually puts his hands on an opponent get one? I suppose we can file this under the NFL making up the rules as it goes along.