The NFL fined Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel $8,165 for a facemask penalty assessed after a reception in the second quarter of the Texans’ Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans. This outcome was anticipated, with reporting indicating the fine and its rationale in the days leading up to the league’s announcement. While disappointing for the second-year receiver from Iowa State, the amount falls below the typical maximums for first- and second-time offenses. First-time face mask infractions can carry fines around $11,941, and second offenses can rise to about $17,911.
In related news from the same game, Titans cornerback Micah Robinson was fined $5,583 for unnecessary roughness stemming from a “hip-drop tackle” on a kickoff Noel returned in the first quarter. The NFL rulebook states that certain tackling actions are fouls, including grabbing or wrapping the runner with the arms, or unweighting and dropping the hips to trap the runner’s legs at or below the knee. The Robinson infraction also counts as one strike toward a potential suspension; accruing two more strikes in the same category could trigger a one-game ban.
