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By Brian Jones
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The NFL has punished two Chicago Bears players for separate incidents during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday.
On Saturday, the league announced it had fined rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas $6,901 for unnecessary roughness. The NFL also announced it had fined defensive lineman Austin Booker $6,457 for unnecessary roughness.
Both incidents occurred in the second quarter. Thomas was penalized for punching Buccaneers cornerback Jacob Parrish. Booker was not penalized for hitting quarterback Baker Mayfield late in the second quarter but was fined for use of the helmet.
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After Thomas committed the penalty, he didn't see much action in the Bears' 27-24 victory over the Bucs. After the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson seemingly confirmed that Thomas was benched for his actions.
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"Yeah, I don't know that he played on offense after that," Johnson said.
The Bears selected Thomas in the third round of this year's draft. In nine games this year, the former LSU wide receiver has caught seven passes for 54 yards.
More on Zavion Thomas and Austin Booker
"He's had a knack for making some big plays throughout," Johnson said about Thomas after the Bears' preseason game against the Titans, per Gabby Hajduk of ChicagoBears.com. "Got sidetracked a little bit with the injury, but to get him back out there and get him a taste of real football, I thought that was huge. Don't want all that production to go to his head, necessarily. He's still got a long ways to go, and he knows that. He understands that. Coach (Antwann) Randle El and Isaiah Ford, they're on him constantly just to make sure he is getting the details down that we need to have success in this offense. But it was a good start."
Booker is in his third season with the Bears. In nine games this year, Booker has posted 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, and five sacks. The Bears selected Booker in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Kansas.
“Austin Booker plays hard, man. He’s played hard for us for a long time on special teams and on defense, and I’m glad that he’s starting to reap some of the benefits of the things he does in the dark. I am proud of him," Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said earlier this month, per Andrew Hughes of Sports Illustrated.
“I think what we try to do more than anything is see where we can gain an advantage with the strengths of our players. And I think they did a really nice job – our players did – and I think they’re a really good unit.”
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