yahoo
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has been fined $23,882 for unnecessary roughness/use of the helmet, the NFL announced. The penalty stems from a play in the Falcons' Week 9 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain, where London was penalized for lowering his head while making contact with a Bengals defender near the sideline.
The fine relates to London's 21-yard reception with seconds remaining in the third quarter. While the receiver did lower his head as he made contact with the defender on his way out of bounds, the severity of the $23,882 fine has raised questions, especially given London's history of fines since entering the league.
London, a first-round pick by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft, has now been fined in consecutive games. In Week 8, he was fined $12,537 for unnecessary roughness against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, he was fined once for taunting in 2025, once for taunting in 2024, and once during his rookie season for an excessive face mask.
No Bengals players were fined for their actions in the Madrid game, which Cincinnati won 34-17.
The NFL distributes money collected from player fines equally among the NFLPA's support of retired players, the NFL Foundation, and other nonprofits that support youth sports, community health and fitness initiatives, and player health and safety at all levels of sports.
Originally reported by yahoo.