Seattle Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf Fined $19,123 for 'Losing His Mind'
D.K. Metcalf has a reputation. And now the Seattle Seahawks standout receiver is paying for it ... paying $19,123 in the form of an NFL fine for something last week's opponent sort of predicted would happen.
Among the many things that went wrong in last Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle's fourth straight failure? With about three minutes left, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner picked off a Drew Lock pass that essentially sealed the Niners win.
Metcalf reacted to the play by tackling Warner with a body slam. Then came a mini-brawl, which led to Metcalf being ejected on the play.
And now comes the fine.
"If you want to call it frustration, yes, it was frustration," Metcalf told reporters after the game. "From my side, he hit me in the back of the head. I just retaliated."
There are, of course, problems here. From a Seattle standpoint, we're listening when former Seahawks star K.J. Wright tells us that there are leadership and focus and maturity problems in this locker room.
And from a Niners standpoint? Nudging Metcalf into losing his cool was part of San Francisco's game plan. According to a report, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan predicted in a team meeting that Metcalf would lose control at some point, and even offered a humorous incentive to whoever could make it happen.
"'We will get ‘14’ to lose his mind,'” Shanahan said during a team meeting, as quoted by writer Mike Silver. “'Christmas present for whoever gets him.'”
Metcalf finished the game with just two receptions for 52 yards. And now he can add to that with a $19,123 check. Oh, and Fred Warner gets a holiday gift from his coach.
