Skip navigation

Vikings' Edwards rails against 'ridiculous' fine

'Men don’t wear panties,' Minnesota DE says of being docked $25,000

Image: Edwards
Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images
Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards was fined Friday for a late hit on Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia and for a leg whip on an offensive lineman.
Slide show
Image: AEK Athens' Nemeth reacts after a Europa League soccer match against BATE Borisov in Athens
  Week in Sports Pictures
Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more.

more photos

ProFootballTalk’s Picks
Chicago Bears v Denver Broncos
Bears will claw 49ers
San Francisco’s talking a big game, but Jay Cutler and Chicago will find a way to win Thursday.

ProFootballTalk.com

Video: Football from NBC Sports
Sunday night showdown
Nov. 11: Rodney Harrison believes containing Indy's Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark are two of the keys for New England on Sunday night.

Slideshow
Image: Green Bay Packers v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  Sideline support
Check out some of the NFL cheerleaders from across the league.

more photos

updated 4:47 p.m. ET Nov. 24, 2008

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards called his $25,000 fine for hits against Tampa Bay two weeks ago “ridiculous” and “outrageous.”

The NFL fined Edwards on Friday for a late hit on Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia and a leg whip on an offensive lineman.

When asked about it Monday, Edwards said, “We chose to play this game. We don’t cry when we get cracked unexpectedly. That fine is what it is. Just got to go out there and play ball and have fun.”

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

Edwards is appealing the fine.

“OK, I can respect the first one. I hit Garcia a little late,” he said. “Even during that play I told him, ’My bad. I thought you still had the ball.’ He was running around like a rabbit so I didn’t know if he had the ball still or not.”

But Edwards said he didn’t even know what a leg whip was and wasn’t trying to hurt anyone on either play.

“It’s not like I jumped in the air and intentionally tried to drop-kick him or something like WWF,” Edwards said. “But it happens, so I have to appeal it and see what I can get out of it.”

The other bookend on the Vikings’ defensive line, Jared Allen, has been fined a total of $80,000 this season for hits in games against Houston and Green Bay.

Allen was heavily critical of the league for fines that he deemed excessive on him and other defensive players throughout the league, and Edwards echoed those sentiments on Monday.

“To me, it’s getting outrageous just because I feel it’s slanted more toward the defense than it is the offense,” Edwards said.

Despite the perceived imbalance, Edwards said he doesn’t plan to change the way he plays the game.

“Not at all,” he said. “If you go out there passive-aggressive, that’s when bad things happen to you. You just have to go out there and play ball and have fun.”

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links