Allen Lazard is ready to fight the NFL if he’s fined for his relatively tame finger gun celebration.
The Jets receiver was assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after spinning the ball and “firing” his hands after a 12-yard catch on Sunday.
The flag changed from 1st and 10 on the 18-yard line to 1st and 10 on the 33, before the Jets failed to get past the 22, forcing a 40-yard field goal.
“I haven’t heard any explanation from the NFL,” Lazard said before Wednesday’s practice. “Now the coaches have come and talked to us individually. It’s so sad that I am a victim. But it is what it is. It’s part of the NFL and part of the entertainment factor.”
Lazard did not seek clarification from officials or the league through the Jets coaches or the NFL Players Association.
If he gets a fine, you can bet on change that he will appeal.
“If I [fined]They will definitely waive it,” Lazard said. “It doesn’t make sense to fine someone for something they didn’t warn about. [about]. It’s like enforcing new driving rules. As for driving down the street with only one hand, I never said I could only drive with two hands. That’s not fair. In that sense, it is not a legitimate democracy.”
Lazard’s argument is that while it is not illegal to drive with one hand on the steering wheel, it can be a factor in a traffic stop due to loss of vehicle control.
“It’s very foolish,” Lazard said. “I expect the NFL to fine me based solely on the history of these situations.”
QB Aaron Rodgers (knee) was listed as limited on the injury report as he did not participate in the stretch period.
He came out of the facility to throw with the other quarterbacks before practice opened to the media.
Coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers is “receiving treatment” but will practice fully and is “not concerned” about the quarterback’s availability.
LB CJ Mosley (toe) was also limited, while RT Morgan Moses (knee) and LT Tyrone Smith (rest) did not practice.
DT Leki Fotu (hamstring) returned to practice and must be suspended for the season if he is not activated for three weeks from injured reserve. I was injured during training camp.
Once the regular season began, Saleh suspended his training camp practice policy of ejecting players after a single penalty kick.
He doesn’t believe in old-fashioned punitive push-ups or running laps as a way to curb bad habits.
“They are men. They want to be treated like men,” Saleh said. “They already know they are screwed. They don’t need to panic. They need to know how to fix it. And I don’t think doing push-ups is teaching a man how to correct that.”
The Jets committed 15 penalties (13 allowed) against the Broncos.
