Not surprisingly, safety Ed Reed doesn't agree with the fine the NFL levied on the Ravens last week. He also had more to say about the league's overall fining practices and treatment of players.
The NFL fined Baltimore $20,000 for not listing Reed on the injury report after he disclosed on a radio show that he has a torn labrum. The league's decision surprised Head Coach John Harbaugh, who felt he was following the rules because Reed hadn't missed any practice time or game action due to the injury.
Reed spoke about the fine for the first time Wednesday, and had similar sentiments to Harbaugh's.
"It wasn't a serious injury that should have been reported because I wasn't out," Reed told reporters.
"I didn't miss any games or any practice, so how can you fine somebody for something like that when there's nothing being missed?"
However, the NFL rule states that playing time is not a factor in adding players to an injury report.
Per the rule book: "All players with significant or noteworthy injuries must be listed on the report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game. This is especially true of key players and those players whose injuries have been covered extensively by the media."
Besides disagreeing with this specific fine, Reed took exception with the NFL's quickness to hand down monetary punishments.
"That goes to show you about the integrity of the game and how it's changed and how they're making more decisions and fining us and taking away from football, so to say," Reed said. "They're taking money and fining you for small stuff. Anything possible they can fine you for that takes away from them, the NFL, and we are the ones who really are the NFL, the players.
"Yeah, the NFLPA probably should have negotiated this stuff better, but [the NFL] has to have a way, I guess, to get their money back. It's just crazy that we get fined the way we do as players."
Reed went on to talk about the league's overall treatment of players and encouraged reported to look into the topic.
"It's something you guys are going to have to look into as these years go by and I'm well out the league, this stuff will be brought more to people's attention on how we get treated as players. And it's not right," Reed said.
