Carolina Panthers safety Zakee Wheatley has been fined $5,626 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness after hitting Denver Broncos wide receiver Jaylen Waddle during their Week 9 matchup. The league classified the contact as a hit on a defenseless player.
The play occurred with 19 seconds left in the first quarter of Carolina’s 26–21 loss to Denver on November 8. Wheatley was not penalized during the game. Waddle left for a concussion evaluation, entered concussion protocol and did not return.
## NFL Reviews Hit That Injured Waddle
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix targeted Waddle on a deep pass from Denver’s 24-yard line. As Waddle attempted to make the catch, Wheatley made contact and knocked the ball loose. Waddle initially got up before leaving the field for evaluation.
Officials did not flag Wheatley on the play. Instead, Panthers cornerback Marco Wilson was penalized for defensive pass interference and taunting. Denver accepted the 15-yard taunting penalty. The league’s later review identified Wheatley’s hit as a violation and issued the fine six days after the game.
Waddle finished with one reception for 22 yards. Denver also lost cornerback Riley Moss to a concussion but went on to defeat Carolina.
## Wheatley’s Second Fine of the Season
The fine is Wheatley’s second publicly listed NFL penalty of the 2026 season. He was previously fined $5,626 for taunting during Carolina’s Week 6 game, bringing his two published fines to $11,252.
The two violations are in different categories. Under the stricter player-safety policy announced by the NFL and NFL Players Association in August, three qualifying violations in a season can trigger a one-game suspension. The covered categories include hits on defenseless players, launching and hip-drop tackles. Wheatley’s earlier taunting fine does not count as one of those qualifying safety violations; his latest fine does.
The league’s decision provides a disciplinary ruling on contact that went unflagged during the game. Although Wilson was penalized on the play, the NFL’s subsequent review determined that Wheatley’s hit on Waddle also warranted punishment.
