Allen Lazard is ready to fight back against the NFL if he is fined for his relatively tame finger guns celebration.
The Jets receiver was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct Sunday after he made a 12-yard catch and then spun the ball and “fired” his hands.
The flag changed first-and-10 at the 18-yard line to first-and-10 at the 33, and the Jets subsequently did not advance past the 22, settling for a 40-yard field goal.
“I’ve gotten zero clarification from the NFL,” Lazard said before Wednesday’s practice. “Now, my coaches have come up and talked to me individually. It’s very unfortunate that I’m the victim of the situation. But it is what it is. It’s part of the NFL, and a part of the entertainment factor.”
Lazard has not pursued an explanation from the officials or the league via the Jets coaches or the NFL Players Association.
You can bet on that changing if he receives a fine, which he would appeal.
“If I am [fined], they are definitely going to exempt it,” Lazard said. “It wouldn’t make sense to fine someone for something you never warned them [about]. It’s like implementing a new driving rule: If you are driving down the street with only one hand, you never told me I can only drive with only two hands. That’s unfair. That’s not a lawful democracy in that sense.”
To Lazard’s point, it is not illegal to drive with one hand on the steering wheel, but it could play a factor in a traffic stop for failure to control a vehicle.
“It’s something very silly,” Lazard said. “I expect the NFL to fine me just from the history of situations like this.”
QB Aaron Rodgers (knee) was listed as limited on the injury report because he did not participate in the stretch period.
He emerged from the facility to throw with the other quarterbacks before practice closed to the media.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers is “getting treatment” but would practice fully and he is “not concerned” about his quarterback’s availability.
LB C.J. Mosley (toe) was also limited, while RT Morgan Moses (knee) and LT Tyron Smith (rest) did not practice.
DT Leki Fotu (hamstring) returned to practice and has three weeks to be activated off of injured reserve or he must be shut down for the season. He was injured during the middle of training camp.
Once the regular season began, Saleh stopped his training-camp practice policy of subbing out players who commit a penalty for one snap.
He doesn’t believe in old-school punitive push-ups or lap running as a way to curb bad habits.
“They’re men. They want to be treated like men,” Saleh said. “They already know that they messed up. They don’t need to be embarrassed. They need to know how to correct it. And I don’t think doing push-ups is teaching a guy how to correct it.”
The Jets committed 15 penalties (13 accepted) against the Broncos.
