Kansas City Chiefs DE Shaun Smith was accused by opponents in Week 2 and Week 3 of grabbing an opponent below the belt. The most recent alleged grab cost him $10,000 in the form of an NFL fine doled out last Friday.
Smith tells Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star that he plans to appeal the fine. Smith sort-of-not-really denied the first incident saying, "I don't recall doing anything like that," and that he's not known as a dirty player.
While I don't think Smith has any shot of getting the fine dismissed or reduced, here's what he has going for him in my eyes:
- He tells Babb he's never been fined in eight years in the league so there's not a history of dirty play on paper.
- No penalties were thrown on Smith for either alleged incident.
- The video that has been made available to us does not show a clear shot of Smith making the grab.
I know what I think happened with Smith on both plays but $10,000 seems like a hefty fine for something in which the video evidence is not crystal clear.