Aqib Talib avoids fine from NFL over skirmish with Douglas

The NFL declined to fine anybody involved in the Harry Douglas-Aqib Talib sideline skirmish last weekend.

The Broncos cornerback tussled with the Titans receiver one play after Douglas' low block on cornerback Chris Harris Jr. that reverberated throughout the league.

The scrum happened on the Tennessee sideline but hardly anyone joined in. Talib ripped his helmet off and dared the Titans players to fight him. Some Titans were telling him he was about to get ejected. Finally, Titans linebacker Avery Williamson tossed Talib aside as officials tried to break it up.

After the game, Talib threatened to beat up Douglas the next time he sees him in Atlanta. The two have the same agent.

Douglas defended his block on Harris and his reputation after the game, pointing out that the hit was allowable and insisting he's not a dirty player.

Douglas wasn't flagged for the low block, which is technically legal but which the Broncos argued was unnecessary because the two were nowhere near the pile.

Harris suffered a cut on his right knee but avoided serious injury by picking up his foot at the moment Douglas dived at his knees while both players were throttling down on a run play on the opposite side of the field.

''There ain't no point in cut-blocking a guy when the run's way over on the opposite side and I don't have no impact on the play,'' Harris said in arguing for a hefty fine for Douglas from the NFL, which has made player safety a priority.

The only player fined from the Titans' 13-10 win was Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who was docked $12,154 for mimicking a baseball pitcher in a stretch and throwing the football at the wall after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, who is friends with Douglas, took some heat after swapping jerseys with him and posing for a picture after the game. Thomas said this week he didn't realize at the time that Harris was the one who had taken out Harris and sparked Talib's ire.

Two Seattle Seahawks defenders drew hefty fines this week for unnecessary roughness infractions at Green Bay: linebacker K.J. Wright ($48,620) and Richard Sherman ($18,231).

Raiders defensive lineman Jihad Ward was fined $9,115 for a face mask penalty in a game against the Chiefs.

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