In the history of the NFL there have been notable financial penalties for teams such as the New Orleans Saints for their reward program for players who injured opponents (also called the Bountygate scandal); that of the Washington Commanders for creating a hostile work environment; and that of the New England Patriots for Deflategate, where quarterback Tom Brady supposedly ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs during an AFC Championship game.
However, Deshaun Watson’s $5 million fine for violating NFL conduct guidelines is the largest in history for an individual. His penalty is so large that it also goes down as the second largest fine ever handed out in the league, whether to an entity or an individual.
Deshaun Watson will be suspended for 11 games and fined $5M, per multiple reports pic.twitter.com/4U2G7QY8Hb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 18, 2022
Apart from Watson, here are the most significant fines for individual players, coaches or owners set by the NFL.
Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
The former owner of the San Francisco 49ers was fined $1 million by the league in 1999 after pleading guilty to one felony charge in a Louisiana gambling scandal.
Jamal lewis
Lewis is one of only eight running backs in NFL history to record a season with more than 2,000 rushing yards. However, his legacy was tarnished when he pleaded guilty to federal drug possession charges in 2004 and was fined $760,000 by the league.
Bill Belichick
In 2007 the head coach of the New England Patriots received what was until then the largest individual fine imposed by the NFL when he was punished with 500 thousand dollars due to Spygate, a scandal involving illegally videotaping the hand signals of their opponents. This remains the biggest fine for a head coach. For their part, the Pats were penalized $250,000 and lost a first-round pick.
Good morning! This is my first tweet in a week.
— Kevin O’Neill (@KevinBuffalo) December 4, 2021
Just wanted to remind you that Bill Belichick was given the largest fine in NFL history for cheating.
And Patriots owner Robert Kraft was arrested as part of a prostitution and human trafficking sting.
Have a great weekend!
Jim Irsay
The owner of the Indianapolis Colts was fined the same amount as the head coach of the Pats, but for different reasons. Irsay pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2014, and the NFL added a six-game suspension.
Shawn Rogers
The former Cleveland Browns defensive tackle was arrested in 2010 at Hopkins International Airport with a loaded gun and for this reason the league decided to punish him with a $400,000 penalty, the salary of one game.
Biggest fines in NFL history
Some of these individual fines also made it to the all-time list. Here’s a record of the biggest penalties meted out by the league.
| RANK | TEAM/INDIVIDUAL | AMOUNT | REASON |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Commanders | $10 million | Hostile work environment |
| 2 | Deshaun Watson | $5 million | Personal conduct policy violation |
| 3 | Denver Broncos | $1.918 million | Circumventing salary cap |
| 4-T | New England Patriots | $1 million | Deflategate scandal |
| 4-T | Eddie DeBartolo Jr. | $1 million | Gambling scandal |
| 5 | Las Vegas Raiders | $800,000 | Violating covid-19 protocols |
| 6 | Jamal Lewis | $760,000 | Federal drug possession |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | $700,000 | Violating covid-19 protocols |
| 8-T | New Orleans Saints | $500,000 | Bountygate scandal |
| 8-T | Bill Belichick | $500,000 | Illegally recording opponent hand signs |
| 8-T | Jim Irsay | $500,000 | Driving under the influence |
