The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ victory ‌over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14 brought some semblance of hope to their playoff contention. But the win came with unwanted attention for their star linebacker T.J. Watt, who’s already going through a medical crisis. After the NFL released its weekly fines, the pass rusher found himself at the center of controversy. He just received a penalty for a late hit that sparked debate among critics and fans.

On Friday, the league released its list of fines on the game day accountability page. The report confirmed that Watt was fined $11,593 for showing unnecessary roughness in a second-quarter play against the Ravens.

In a clip shared by Football Forever on X, the linebacker can be seen jumping into a pile with just over two minutes left in the first half. What the league considered a “late hit” came just after the short two-yard run by Ravens running back Derrick Henry.

If we go by the footage, it looks like Watt sprang into action a bit late, as that play was about to end. At the time of the incident, the Steelers had a clear 17-3 lead. While the penalty raises eyebrows, the NFL rulebook is pretty clear on its stance.

According to Section 2 of Rule 12, a player can’t dive into or land on another player who is already on the ground. The rule applies either before or after the ball is dead.

Interestingly, the officials didn’t throw flags or penalize Watt on the field, and Henry also didn’t get hurt on that play. These could be the reasons that this fine stands out. In fact, similar pile-ups happen in the league all the time and rarely result in fines. The league must bring consistency in discipline and judgments, or else the questions won’t stop coming their way. Meanwhile, Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark openly criticized the decision. 

“It’s a really ticky-tack definition of a late hit, as Watt jumped on a pile of players trying to bring down Derrick Henry while the Ravens RB was still up,” Clark wrote. “It really doesn’t look like a play that rose to a level of a fine.”

This marks Watt’s first fine of the season and the only fine from the matchup. The 31-year-old now has the option of appealing the fine. Mind you, Watt’s punishment comes just days after he suffered a health scare and underwent surgery.

T.J. Watt suffers an unexpected medical scare

The Steelers star T.J. Watt is currently dealing with a serious medical setback. According to ESPN, he sustained a partially collapsed lung during a dry needling treatment at the team facility on Wednesday. For context, dry is a specialized procedure that involves inserting thin needles into the skin to help relieve pain and improve movement.

While it’s common for payers to opt for this treatment during physical therapy, the aftermath of Watts’ situation was indeed unusual. At the time of writing, the team has provided limited details on the players’ health or the incident that led to it. However, his brother and former NFL player, J.J. Watt, dropped a promising update on Friday. 

“Yesterday, TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered on Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility,” he wrote on social media. “Recovery timeline is still TBD, but all went well, and he is being released from the hospital today.”

Top Stories

NFL Announces Hefty Punishment for Shedeur Sanders Incident

Forced to Leave FOX, Cowboys Legend Troy Aikman Says ESPN Is Like ‘U.S. Government’ & Clearly Distinguishes the Two Networks

Update Announced on Josh Allen’s Bills Staying Near Brown University Amid Tragic Incident

Zac Taylor Receives Unfortunate $56.5M News on Trading Away Joe Burrow Amid Bengals QB’s Frustrations

NFL Announces Final Punishment Decision for Patrick Mahomes Incident Against Texans

Despite the positive news, head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that T.J. Watt will miss Monday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins. The absence comes at a critical time when the Steelers aim to strengthen their grip on the AFC North. The Ravens are giving them tough competition, and Tomlin’s team can’t afford to lose even a single game.