Bills star in trouble with the NFL before Raiders showdown originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Bills pulled off a thrilling overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football," and now, the team's sights are set on the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bills are 4-1 heading into the game, while the Raiders are 3-2. One of the most fascinating things about this matchup will be seeing veteran quarterbacks Josh Allen and Kirk Cousins go up against each other.
But ahead of the game, one of the Bills' biggest star players is in a bit of trouble with the NFL. He'll have to pay up.
Amid the season, the NFL slaps players with punishments every week in the form of fines for those who break the rules in the prior weekend's games. "The league may respond to an official's call during a game or to a specific play that a team submits for review. The NFL Officiating Department also reviews every play from every game and refers potential violations to the Football Operations compliance team," the NFL notes on its official website.
Buffalo Bills star running back receives the second-largest NFL fine of Week 5 for unnecessary roughness
On Saturday afternoon, the league officially announced its full list of Week 5 fines and punishments. In the announcement, the NFL shared that it's fining Bills star running back James Cook $21,167 for unnecessary roughness involving the use of the helmet at 2:25 in the first quarter of the team's game against the Rams. Even though no flag was thrown on the play at the time, after reviewing the footage, the NFL decided his actions warranted a fine.
That's a hefty fine, too. It marks the second-largest fine of the week, trailing only Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has to pay $23,882 for unnecessary roughness involving the use of the helmet.
It's all for a good cause, though. The funds raised from fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation and NFL Foundation.