GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Clay Matthews is staring at another fine, and it doesn't seem to bother him.
Although the Green Bay Packers linebacker would not say whether his hit on St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles on Sunday drew a fine -- players are notified midweek and the NFL announces them on Fridays -- it’s a good bet that Matthews will be docked some cash after drilling Foles with the crown of his helmet.
Former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira said during the game that Matthews should have been penalized for the hit because you cannot hit a defenseless player with the crown of your helmet. Rams coach Jeff Fisher also felt there should have been a penalty called on the play.
“You play hard,” Matthews said this week. “I play hard. What happens is what happens. I don’t think anybody in this league, hopefully, intentionally goes out there to break the rules. You know, when you play hard, you have no regrets. That’s how I play, whether it’s a facemask or a low hit on the quarterback. I don’t think anybody intentionally, especially myself, goes out there and tries to inflict illegal hits or pain or whatever you like to call it. It’s just a byproduct of playing hard, I believe.”
If Matthews is fined, it won’t be the first time for a hit on Foles. He drew a $15,570 fine for roughing up Foles in 2013 when Foles was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, that fine was eventually wiped out after Matthews appealed.
"I got the whole thing rescinded because I didn't hit him with my head," Matthews said at the time.
Matthews was most recently fined $22,050 for an illegal blindside hit on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during an interception return in the NFC Championship Game.
"I was just blocking whoever and it turned out to be the quarterback and obviously calls are going to go in their direction whether it was a blind-side hit or whatever," Matthews said after that game. "I'm just looking to pick up a block and unfortunately that's just how the game played out."
