NEW YORK — Star defensive ends Julius Peppers and Jared Allen were fined $10,000 each Friday by the NFL, Peppers for a late hit and Allen for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Carolina’s Peppers was fined for his hit on Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback had gone out of bounds in the fourth quarter Sunday. Minnesota’s Allen was fined for using the football as a prop. That brings Allen’s total this year to $90,000.
Tennessee tackle David Stewart was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness on a running play when he struck an opponent late in a Thanksgiving Day win over Detroit.
The NFL also handed out a $5,000 fine to Vikings CB Benny Sapp for hitting a Bears player in the head; $7,500 to Bears WR Brandon Lloyd for a horse-collar tackle on Sapp after an interception; and $7,500 to Bears CB Charles Tillman for a horse-collar tackle on Bernard Berrian.
Peppers was also fined $10,000 in October for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. Peppers had two sacks in the win over the Packers, giving him a team-leading 11 on the season.
The play involving Allen happened in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 34-14 victory over the Bears that put the Vikings in first place in the NFC North. After his third sack of the night of Kyle Orton, a performance that earned him NFC defensive player of the week honors, Allen grabbed the football and mimicked like he was performing CPR on it, thus using it as a prop.
Allen previously was fined $25,000 for a series of late hits. Before that, he was fined $50,000 for two late hits on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, one that injured Schaub’s knee.
He was also fined $5,000 for a late hit in a game at Chicago in October.
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