Raiders' Josh Jacobs Tells NFL 'Chill with the BS' After Unnecessary Roughness Fine

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs was unhappy with the NFL after he received an unnecessary roughness fine, telling the league to "chill with the BS" in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jacobs was fined $21,855 for lowering his helmet to initiate contact during the Raiders' 30-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 9. He did not get called for a penalty on the play during the game.

The NFL has cracked down on this form of unnecessary roughness in recent years, originally adding a new rule in 2018 that states: "Lowering the head to initiate contact with the helmet is a foul."

The league then updated the regulation ahead of the 2023 season, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

"It is a foul if a player: (a) lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or (b) uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent's head or neck area. These provisions do not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle or block on an opponent."

This rule change has mostly affected offensive skill position players, especially running backs.

Prior to Jacobs' punishment, NFL players had received seven fines in 2023 for the impermissible use of helmets totaling $193,325 (via Spotrac). Six of them were incurred by running backs.

The punishments have also been particularly harsh. Pittsburgh Steelers backup running back Jaylen Warren has received two separate fines for $48,556 while earning a base salary of just $870,000 this season.

Fans have been perplexed by the enforcement of the rule, and it appears that players such as Jacobs are now calling out the NFL too.