TJ Watt fined for basically assaulting Seahawks Alex Collins in week 6
By Lee Vowell
Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt was fined for repeatedly punching Seahawks running back Alex Collins in week 6. That isn’t enough. Yes, the NFL allows a player to “punch” out a ball from an opponent. It doesn’t allow for a player to punch another player and this is exactly what Watt did to Collins last week.
What it comes down to me is that Watt had to know when he was throwing haymakers where his hands were landing. If you know as a human being that you are striking another human being without actually hitting something that isn’t anything but a human being that you would stop striking that person. When Watt was punching Collins in the stomach and the face, which is what he did, he should have stopped. He didn’t. He kept punching.
TJ Watt got a penalty because he thought Alex Collins was Jake Paul https://t.co/OR0Ms6cSgH
— Frank J. Dyevoich, Esq. (@Fantasy_Giant) October 18, 2021
Because the NFL allows physical abuse, Watt won’t be suspended for abusing Collins. He will be fined a measly $10,815. Watt is making $1 million this year but also has a $7 million signing bonus. Basically, the NFL fining Watt what it did equates to 1 percent of his 2021 contract based on his million-dollar 2021 deal. Chump change.
TJ Watt gets a slap on the wrist for assaulting Seahawks Alex Collins
Meanwhile, Collins had a glute injury in week 6 and had to miss the last 6 minutes of regulation and all of overtime. He missed this time maybe partly because, as coach Pete Carroll put it, Collins was “…beat on pretty good.” Watt did have an unnecessary roughness penalty called on him so clearly, the referees were aware of what Watt was doing but the same refs didn’t kick Watt out of the game. They should have. What Watt did would get a person arrested in actual life.
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Watt stayed in the game and forced a fumble in overtime by Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith which set the Steelers up for an easy field goal to win the game. Watt shouldn’t have been in the game and should have been suspended for week 7 too. But the NFL rules are what they are. It should be noted, though, if a Seahawk had done what Watt did, I have no doubt they would have been expelled from the game.