Detroit Lions safety John Wendling received a $7,875 fine for leading with his forearm on sliding quarterback Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers in their Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 2 of the NFL regular season. Wendling did not get penalized on the play. The 49ers won, 27-19.
Lions’ John Wendling Fined For Hit On Alex Smith
Detroit Lions safety John Wendling was fined $7,875 for his hit on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith.
Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee has the story on the fine and included a quote from Smith on the punishment.
Said Smith after the game: “I looked up, saw the flag and thought for sure it was a personal foul call, but all of a sudden we were backed up and it was a holding call. I was pretty stunned we didn’t get that call.”
By contrast, the NFL fined Smith almost twice as much for wearing a San Francisco Giants baseball cap that failed to meet league standards; he was punished with a $15,000 fine for not meeting the NFL's dress code. In what appeared to be a show of solidarity, Giants manager Bruce Bochy wore a 49ers cap and Giants players wore 49ers gear after their victory over the Colorado Rockies.
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh had this to say about Bochy's act:
“I thought it was tremendous. Tremendous, tremendous.”
Talk about the punishment with Lions fans at Pride of Detroit, and with 49ers fans at Niners Nation.
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