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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Houston Texans star safety Jalen Pitre had a costly day in his return from a shoulder injury last week. The NFL fined him a total of $30,800 for two separate hits in the Texans' 44-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, both for unnecessary roughness and use of the helmet. Each fine was exactly $15,400, but surprisingly neither play drew a flag during the game.
Both incidents happened in the second quarter. The first came at the 8:58 mark, when Pitre hit Chargers receiver Tre Harris on a third-and-goal, resulting in a seven-yard loss and forcing Los Angeles to settle for a field goal. The second came with 25 seconds left in the half, on a tackle of tight end Charlie Kolar on a five-yard gain.
The league office reviewed both plays after the game and believed that the Harris play, especially, was a penalty, meaning it should have been first-and-goal for the Chargers.
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The NFL has stayed fairly consistent with how it's handled these types of situations this season. The league regularly reviews games and fines players for hits that were missed on the field, and it has been fining players heavily this season. Through the first nine weeks, 242 total fines have been dished out, though a season-low 19 were assessed in Week 9.
The two biggest fines of the week went to Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London, who were both dealt a $23,882 fine for use of the helmet. Pitre was the only player to get hit with two separate fines.
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That's not the only reason it's notable, though. Pitre had been out with a shoulder injury and had his first fines since the 2023 season, after three previous fines totaling $43,351. He's a physical player who's become one of the best safeties in football due to his hard-hitting and aggressive play style. But the NFL obviously has its eye on him, and he'll need to clean up that area of his game to avoid any further instances like this.
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