Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the fine levied on Bears linebacker Jon Bostic earlier this week put the NFL over the $1 billion mark for penalties against defensive players. Most of the fines were handed out for late or illegal hits like Bostic’s crunching blow to Chargers receiver Mike Willie. In commemoration of the milestone the league will officially adopt “Bostic” as an adjective for illegal hit.
“We’ve reached a billion on defensive players alone,” said Goodell. “A large chunk of that may very well make it back their way when they sue the league for their head injuries in the future.”
Goodell said he was confident the league would hit the $2 billion in fines someday soon.
“Who’s to say we can’t keep handing out huge fines to our players?” asked Goodell. “As long as we keep changing the way we interpret and enforce the rules, there’s really no holding us back.”
