Mike Mitchell and Mike Tomlin thought the safety’s hit on Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith last Sunday happened because of extenuating circumstances.
The NFL clearly didn’t care.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported and Mitchell confirmed that the safety had been fined $48,620 for hitting Smith in the back of the legs on the final play of the third quarter in the Steelers’ 19-13 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mitchell said Sunday he was pushed from behind by teammate Anthony Chickillo on the play.
“I was clearly pushed in the back and I didn’t wrap because I wasn’t trying to make contact with him,” Mitchell said Sunday. “It was a tough play.”
Thursday, he was visibly upset that the NFL had fined him.
"Any time you are fined, there is going to be an appeal. That's what I'm doing, I'm appealing it," Mitchell said.
Mitchell was penalized for roughing the passer on the play, which turned into a 37-yard completion to running back Kareem Hunt. That helped the Chiefs, who trailed 12-3 at the time, move from their own 39 to the Pittsburgh 12.
But Kansas City failed to convert a fourth-and-2 play from the Pittsburgh 4, turning the ball over on downs.
Smith turned and challenged Mitchell after the hit happened and continued to complain about it after the game.
“When you get hit in the back of your knee like that, I didn’t understand how that happened,” Smith said. “Certainly guys falling, rushing the quarterback, I get it when it’s happening from the front and guys trying hard. That one to me just seemed so weird to get hit that low coming from behind.”
Tomlin didn’t have an issue with the penalty being called. But he agreed with Mitchell in terms of what happened.
“My view is what you guys saw. He got tripped by Chickillo, and it’s unfortunate,” Tomlin said. “But it’s part of ball. He should’ve been penalized. There’s strict liability there and rightfully so. Player safety is big, but if you saw the play, you’d know there was no malintent or egregiousness there on his part. He got tripped. But Alex doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head and in-game, he doesn’t know that. So, it was reasonable for him to have the response that he had.”
Mitchell has a history of drawing fines from the league. He was fined twice in 2015 - once for a hit that was penalized and once for one that was not - while with the Steelers.
In 2013, while in his one season with the Carolina Panthers, Mitchell was fined on five different occasions by the NFL for what were deemed illegal hits for a total of $45,000.
That caused the outspoken safety to take a swipe at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I think there is a little bit of a targeting system they have out,” Mitchell told reporters in 2013. “I think I’m one of the guys they’d been looking for, but I’m OK with that.”
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers Practice, UMPC Rooney Sports Complex, Oct. 19, 2017 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS