Ex-NFL star JJ Watt slams league for excessive fines over unnecessary roughness: 'Mind blowing to me'

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J.J. Watt feels for defensive players.

The former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star suggested Wednesday he was "sick" of seeing players receive unwarranted fines over unnecessary roughness calls. He thinks the NFL is going too far when punishing players.

"I’ve been on the other ends of these fines. I’ve gotten some of these fines. There’s some of them that have been legit – there’s no doubt about it," Watt said on "The Pat McAfee Show." 

"There’s definitely plays that are legitimately … I understand why they’re fining and why we’re trying to get some of those things out of the game.

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J.J. Watt reacts prior to the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Manchester City at Turf Moor on Aug. 11, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

"But what's happening now? These plays that we're fining guys for, and we're taking tens of thousands of dollars out of their pockets because of routine football plays. Things that happen throughout the course of the game. It is mind blowing to me.

"And I know these guys can’t really say anything because if they speak up, now, they’re gonna get fined for speaking up about it. … When you have to run the play back 10 times to figure out which guy even got fined, like what’re we doing here?"

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Watt wondered what the point of the excessive fines were. He pointed to potential "posturing for the next CBA" or the NFL wants to be able to say that they "tried to stop the violence" but the players said "they didn’t like it."

On X, Watt