It took almost a week, but the NFL has finally handed down fines for the controversial hits on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton in last Thursday's season opener. The victims of the fines are Broncos safety Darian Stewart and linebacker Brandon Marshall, netting over $40,000 total between the two.
Some of the hits from last week that caused controversial as no penalties were called at the time:
While the hits to the head look terrible, Newton stayed in the game and reportedly passed all the test required by concussion protocol.
With these fines in mind, it will be interesting to see how Newton in treated by the refs over the next few weeks. Will he grab a makeup call or two on a hard hit? That is the million dollar — or I guess the $24,000 — question.