In what may be one of the most ridiculous fines of the 2011 NFL season, Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk was fined $5,000 for refusing to wear a microphone during the team’s Week 4 game against the New York Jets, according to Chris Chase of Yahoo! Sports. Birk plans on appealing the fine.
The television crew likes to use the microphones on players during games to enhance their coverage and provide their viewers with audio clips of what’s being said on the field. However, Birk decided not to wear the microphone during the game because it made him uncomfortable–which is completely understandable.
“When I went out for warm-ups, the microphone came loose and was jabbing my neck,” Birk said courtesy of Chase’s article. “It was tucked in there pretty tight and I couldn’t get it back in there, so I just took it off. Then I was notified that I’m not supposed to do that.”
It’s one thing to be fined over an unnecessary hit or something that puts another player at risk, but no player should receive a fine for refusing to wear a microphone during a game just so the networks can obtain audio clips–especially if it’s going to make them uncomfortable. Plus, let’s be honest, when networks decide which player audio clips they’re going to use in games, they’re most likely not going to use one of an offensive lineman–so Birk’s fine from the NFL is nothing but ridiculous.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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