It’s been a tough two weekends for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London. For two consecutive games, two heavy fines have been levied on him for unnecessary roughness. The latest one has many debating shocked, including J.J. Watt.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“They have to be doing this simply to get a reaction out of people sometimes… It worked. Twenty. Three. Thousand. Dollars. For this?” Watt posted on X, resharing Tom Pelissero’s post.
London has been fined $23,882 for unnecessary roughness, for use of a helmet against the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain, in Week 9.
The play in question came with just seconds left in the third quarter. After completing a 21-yard reception, London lowered his head as he collided with Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II.
For London, this decision hurts even more. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the league already handed the wide receiver a $12,537 fine for an unnecessary roughness penalty. He was engaged in some heated exchange with Buccaneers linebacker Alex Anzalone. The NFL’s Accountability Report listed the violation under “striking/kicking/kneeing.”
Both fines levied on London are for first-time offenses in either category, per the NFL rules. Another unnecessary roughness penalty for a helmet hit would force London to part with a whopping $47,762.
Cut to Week 9, London is tied for the largest fine of the week and his second this season. Joining him is Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones, standing on the same boat, with the same fine.
London has posted 44 catches for 692 receiving yards and one touchdown so far this season. It’s been a tough season for him, and the Falcons are also at a troubling 3-6 record in the league. He entered the season on a good note, having signed a contract extension that keeps him with the Falcons through the 2030 season.
Earlier this season, he also shouted at a fan in the Carolina Panthers game. ESPN reported that he used profanities, while teammate Olamide Zaccheus had to hold him back.
“I’m going to be honest here, I don’t take light to disrespect at all,” London said of the moment. “I don’t care who you are. I’m a man, too, at the end of the day. So, if you want to get on a personal level, I can get there, too, but it’s not the right thing to do. So, I got to take accountability for that, and I got to push forward and be the bigger man in some of those situations.
Drake London admitted that with how the game was going, he didn’t like what the fan told him. The WR was not penalized or fined for this move, but head coach Kevin Stefanski took note.
“You can never respond to a fan,” Stefanski said. “That’s not the way we’re going to do that. Drake knows that, and he took accountability last night. That’s something he knows he needs to be better there and just be a pro. You can never do that.”
Beyond holding players accountable for on-field violations, the NFL uses the fines to support broader initiatives. The money is distributed equally among the NFLPA’s retired player support programs, the NFL Foundation, and other nonprofits working in youth sports, community health and fitness, and player health and safety.