GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Tramon Williams didn't initially know it was a referee he made contact with, but the NFL made sure the Green Bay Packers' veteran cornerback knows now, fining him $26,250 for the incident on Thanksgiving.
"There's a lot of emotion going on at that point in time," Williams said Thursday in the locker room. "Really, you're not paying attention to what you're doing, not even paying attention to who it was at that point in time. I just saw a guy walk out in front of me, maybe trying to contact me or make contact with me, and just kind of knock his arm out of my way, because he put it out at me.
"I didn't mean any harm by it at all; wouldn't do that if I knew who it was. Hopefully they give me some money back."
After Detroit scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to take a 33-10 lead, the coaches' film clearly showed that Williams was bumped with shoulder-to-shoulder contact by Lions center Dominic Raiola. As the two then exchanged words, the back judge attempted to get between them. That's when Williams used his right arm to give a slight shove to the referee's back.
"The ref must have saw me walking behind him because he was still walking our way towards our sideline," Williams said. "(The back judge) walks in front of me and I was like, 'Hold on, you're walking up on the wrong guy. It was that guy (Raiola) who done it.' So I'm already frustrated. It was a reaction more than anything."
Williams was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct as soon as he made contact with the back judge. However, unlike Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook, who was fined the same amount this week by the NFL for making contact with a game official, Williams was not ejected.
"He got tossed," Williams said of Cook. "I think they (the NFL) might have said, 'OK, guys, let's emphasize this.' But, I mean, come on, man, the referee is on the field just like us. I didn't think Chris Cook's was actually that bad, for him to get thrown out."
Williams is appealing the fine.
"I don't think I initiated the contact, but I did finish the contact, I guess," Williams said.
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