Bear Digest

NFL hits Bears receiver with fine for incident against Packers

A shoving incident after a play in last week's game has resulted in a fine for Chicago Bears receiver Luther Burden.
Gene Chamberlain|
Luther Burden had a costly post-play incident with Green Bay's Keisean Nixon.
Luther Burden had a costly post-play incident with Green Bay's Keisean Nixon. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Bears wide receiver Luther Burden had a solid game last week while taking on a larger role with wide receiver Rome Odunze out injured, and he also did something else.

He was fined.

The NFL gave Burden a fine of $11,075 for unnecessary roughness on a play with 4:41 left in the second quarter of the 28-21 loss to Green Bay.

He was involved in a shoving and grabbing incident after a 1-yard run by Kyle Monangai.

Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon began jawing at him after Burden was involved talking with another Packers DB. Burdn then put his hand at Nixon's chest and neck area. The officials stepped in and broke it up, and gave Nixon a penalty but Burden was not penalized even though he was involved in actual physical contact.

The league has penalized him instead.

The fine was the 10th for the Bears this season. The most costly were against safety Kevin Byard and tackle Darnell Wright for $23,186 when they were caught using their helmets in making contact on a tackle or on a block.

The 15-yard penalty on the Packers gave the Bears a first down at Green Bay's 18-yard line and assisted the Bears in a march to a 33-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.

Nixon and Burden can renew their unpleasantries next week when the Packers come to Chicago for the rematch of last week’s game, won 28-21 by Green Bay.

Burden last week had a team-high 67 receiving yards on four receptions against the Packers, including a 27-yarder. His four catches tied Colston Loveland for team high. It was his second straight game matching his career best for receptions.

At one point this season, the Bears were the most penalized team and benefited the least from penalties, but that has subsided somewhat. They now have benefited the second fewest times from penalty flags and have been penalized the eighth-most times. They're tied with the Lions for benefiting the fewest times.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.