Richard Sherman fined for his offside hit on Bills kicker Dan Carpenter

Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman has been fined approximately $9,000 for the offside hit that left Bills kicker Dan Carpenter crumpled on the turf at CenturyLink Field on Monday night.

With Buffalo lined up to kick a 53-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter, Sherman crossed the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped and barreled into Carpenter, who was barely halfway through his kicking motion. While referees attempted to whistle the play dead, they weren’t able to signal the obvious penalty until after the Seahawks defensive back had already crashed through Buffalo’s field goal setup.

Sherman was flagged for offside while Carpenter needed his team’s training staff to help him back to his feet. One spiked ball later, Carpenter missed a 53-yard attempt as the half expired.

The outspoken All-Pro argued his hit wasn’t intentional and was within the rules of the game.

“I went to block the kick,” Sherman said. “I’m not going to let him make a kick. So when they called offsides I’m not going to let them have their free play — that’s not how I play.”

“They didn’t blow the whistle, so I played until the whistle was blown,” Sherman added. “I went straight for the ball. I didn’t go for the kicker. I slid for the ball.”

He also suggested since he made contact with the ball, his hit wouldn’t constitute roughing the kicker. NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino agreed, but argued Sherman’s offside hit on the Buffalo kicker should have been a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.

Now, Sherman’s wallet will be a bit lighter, but he won’t miss any game time for a hit some decried as “dirty.”

Sherman also has said that he won’t appeal the NFL’s fine:

The fine was, at the very least, better than the castration with which Carpenter’s wife threatened Sherman in a tone-deaf tweet Monday night.