Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s decisive pick-six against the Steelers was capped by an uncalled taunting foul. And despite his best effort to explain that it wasn’t a joke, the NFL didn’t buy it.
Humphrey was fined $11,255 for taunting.
“I want to make this quite clear.“Humphrey said after the Week 16 win. “When I was running the ball I saw (linebacker) David Ojabo, a great teammate of mine, and I was trying to throw him the ball. Then some people told me it seemed like a joke or something. But I was trying to throw him the ball and there was no taunting at all. “I just want to make that very clear.”
Humphrey will have the right to appeal the fine. And it probably will.
Still, it’s hard to look at the play and see it as anything other than mockery. Yes, he initially appeared to be considering a Christmas gift to Ojabo in the form of a touchdown. But Humphrey finally turned to pass the ball to Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III as Humphrey carried the ball into the end zone.