Olivier Vernon Fined for Hit on Marcus Mariota: Latest Details and Reaction

Following Olivier Vernon's controversial hit on Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota in Week 6, the Miami Dolphins defensive end has been fined by the NFL. 

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Vernon said Wednesday that he was fined and is appealing the punishment.

The amount of Vernon's fine was not immediately available, though Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald quoted the defensive lineman as saying it is "a decent amount."

The play occurred early in the second quarter of Miami's 38-10 victory. Mariota took a shotgun snap, surveyed the field and fired a pass to the right side, when Vernon made it through the Dolphins' offensive line and appeared to go for the Titans rookie's knees. 

Vernon took to Twitter on Sunday night to express his regret about the play:

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Monday that Mariota had suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

Per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt felt that Vernon was deliberately trying to attack Mariota's legs on the play. 

"I think it was B.S.," Whisenhunt said. "That's not the way you play football. I think it was done with the idea of trying to hurt our quarterback, and that's bulls--t football."

However, in the same Kuharsky report, Mariota said he didn't "think it was malicious."

Vernon will have an opportunity to plead his case during the appeal. It's an uncomfortable situation for the player and his teammates to be in, as they are trying to prepare for a game on Sunday and will not want to deal with questions about dirty play.

Whether Vernon intended to injure Mariota or not, the way this play happened combined with the 15-yard penalty being called seemed to ensure that a fine of some sort was coming.