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(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers‘ Kyle Juszczyk received bad news on Jan. 17 when the NFL announced its fines for the wild-card round as part of its Gameday Accountability report. Although the Niners had a come-from-behind win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the league is punishing Juszczyk for two incidents.
As part of the tionsfine process, players are notified of violations and may appeal any ruling. Moreover, cases are heard by appeals officers and former NFL players, such as Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL/NFLPA. As a result, the decisions made are final and binding.
Regarding Juszczyk, the 49ers standout received two fines that tally over $20,000. The first fine came in the second quarter at the 4:10-minute mark for unnecessary roughness, as the player used his helmet. Because of this play, the league is fining Juszczyk $10,144.
Nonetheless, that wasn’t the only fine Juszczyk received. His second fine came in the third quarter at the 2:05-minute mark for another incident in which the NFL deems as unnecessary roughness for Juszczyk using his helmet again. As a result of this play, the league is fining Juszczyk $10,144.
49ers Have Motivation Ahead of Playoff Game
While Juszczyk will need to deal with his two fines, he did speak to the media after the 49ers beat the Eagles to advance to the divisional round. Moreover, he weighed in on the team losing George Kittle to an Achilles tendon injury.
“Losing George is different,” Juszczyk told reporters postgame (h/t KNBR). “That’s the heart and soul of our team. He brings so much energy, and [he is such] an incredible player. So that definitely hurts a lot. But even when he was down, he was still positive.
“I came in at halftime, and he was smiling, and he said, I’m not dead yet, man. I’ll be back. Go win it. That meant a lot. Guys just continued to step up and find ways, even we lose our best players. And we did enough to get the win.”
Not having Kittle will force others on offense, like Juszczyk, to step up in any potential pass-catching situations against the Seattle Seahawks. In the win over Philadelphia, Juszczyk recorded four receptions for 49 receiving yards, so he will be someone that Brock Purdy will be looking for.
George Kittle Injury Update Revealed
As for Kittle, 49ers wideout Ricky Pearsall provided an injury update on the veteran tight end, who will look to offer moral support to the team as they head on the road to punch their ticket to the NFC title game.
“We were on FaceTime a little bit [on Jan. 14],” Pearsall told reporters (h/t 95.7 The Game). “He’s playing a little bit of video games. He’s playing ARC Raiders, the new video game. I was just checking on him, see how he’s doing. He seems to be in some good spirits right now, but that’s George, man.
“He’s able to get through anything. That energy, just being himself, that’s something that I really admire and take from him. He’s always positive. Shouts to him, man. He’s been a huge part of my career already. He sent some funny photos to me already, but he always does that, so it’s not a surprise.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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