According to multiple media reports, the Arizona Cardinals fined defensive lineman Darnell Dockett a "six-figure" amount Friday for conduct detrimental to the team.
XTRA 910 AM radio host Mike Jurecki first reported the fine.
According to NFL.com's Albert Breer, the amount of the fine was $200,000. The NFL.com report also states that the NFL Players Association has already begun the process of filing an appeal over the fine, which was related to an incident that occurred late in the Cardinals' loss to the New York Jets last Sunday.
While the specifics are still unclear, the Cardinals' coaching staff directed the defense to let the Jets score in the final seconds of a 7-6 game, giving the Cards a chance to get the ball back and potentially tie the score with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Dockett refused and reportedly spit at teammate Kerry Rhodes in the huddle, something both Dockett and Rhodes later denied.
Dockett, however, issued an apology on Wednesday, saying the following:
“Me and Kerry had a very heated argument at a very heatful time in the game. I apologized to Kerry, Kerry forgave me, and that’s it.
“It was a situation that we totally didn’t agree on. At the end of the day, we did what was best for the team to give our team the best chance to win the game.”
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said the same day that the team had moved on from the incident, which he referred to as an "in-house matter."
The fine presumably was not related to any alleged spitting, but rather Dockett's failure to obey the coaches' orders. The Jets ran out the clock near the Cardinals' goal line, and the offense never got the ball back in what turned out to be the team's franchise-record-tying eighth straight loss.
Dockett is in the third year of a six-year, $56 million contract.
