Steelers Diontae Johnson Slapped With Big Fine For Honest Views On Officiating Errors

The Pittsburgh Steelers are often among the highest-fined teams in the NFL, and it appears that isn't going to change in 2023. After Jaylen Warren was hit with an egregious fine for what appeared to be a casual block, one that we all expected to come finally was handed down on Sunday. Diontae Johnson got his FedEx envelope stating that he now owed the league for his comments on the referee's calls during Pittsburgh's 2023 Week 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Steelers' Johnson Penalized By NFL For Officiating Comments

On one hand, Johnson must feel some sense of relief after finding the end zone (for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback for the Steelers) during their Week 9 victory over the Tennessee Titans. However, it comes with a bittersweet taste after the NFL slapped Johnson with a $25,000 fine for his words following their loss in Week 8 of 2023. 

There was plenty about the officiating for Johnson to be upset about, especially an offsides call against the offense on a field goal try that Chris Boswell made that got moved back, resulting in a missed attempt by Boswell. It all added up to a painful 20-10 loss for the Steelers, and Johnson didn't hold back in the locker room following the game.

“They were calling stupid stuff. They should get fined for calling terrible stuff. That’s how p***** I am. I don’t care what anyone says; it cost us the game. Yeah, I got to make plays. I had two plays I should have made, but that doesn’t define the whole game.”

Johnson went on to make it directly clear that he believed the referees actually wanted the Jaguars to win, something that everyone immediately knew would end up right where we are now, with a fine and most likely some kind of warning from the league to avoid that kind of officiating talk in the future.

Steelers Frustrated With Fines

It is one thing for a reckless headshot tackle to receive a hefty fine the week after a game, but the Steelers are starting to wonder what exactly is going on in the league office, considering the fines that have been handed down in 2023 already. Jaylen Warren isn't the highly-paid star that Johnson is, but the NFL didn't hesitate in handing him a fine much larger than the one they gave to Pittsburgh's starting receiver.

Warren got a brutal $48,556 fine for a simple block that the majority who saw it have no clue why there was any issue taken by the league at all, but that is how it went down. As frustrating as that must have been, especially when you take into account that Warren was signed as an undrafted free agent after their 2022 training camp, he doesn't have the kind of money that some NFL players do, so he kept his head down. Someone who doesn't have to worry about that is TJ Watt, who had no problem speaking out on Warren's behalf regarding the fine.

In total, Warren has been charged nearly $97,000 by the NFL for two separate incidents, neither of which should have ended up costing the young player money, said Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year didn't hold back when he talked about how much money has been taken from Warren in 2023. When you have put together the kind of stellar career that Watt has going for him already, people tend to listen to your words, and that is something Watt is counting on. 

Unless superstar players like Watt speak out, lesser-known athletes like Warren will keep having their checks taken from them for things that seem ordinary and safe, even in the modern NFL.

Are either of the fines given to Jaylen Warren worth what he was charged? 

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