Calvin Pace Fined $15,000 for Hit on Michael Vick

by John B on Dec 22, 2011 3:46 PM EST

Calvin Pace was fined $15,000 for a hit on a Michael Vick touchdown pass Sunday that resulted in a roughing the passer penalty. He is not happy about it.

Pace told reporters Thursday he planned to appeal the fine. He told ESPNNewYork.com that he didn’t read the letter sent to him from the league. "I saw $15,000 and threw it in the trash," Pace told the website.

It looked like kind of a phantom call at the time on Sunday. It seems like the call was based on a blow to Vick's head, but it was not entirely clear that was what happened on the replay. I can only assume the league examined this closely from every angle imaginable. Based on the picture posted here, Calvin might have a difficult time getting it overturned. We will just have to wait and see to find out how things turn out after the appeal.

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Wow.

What a joke.

Darrelle Revis once won a game of Connect Four in three moves.

by bm01bath on Dec 22, 2011 4:13 PM EST reply actions

Every Roughing the Passer in the game was a joke

Its funny how Vick ascended the Drawn Call Ladder so quickly. In that Eagles game, he was getting calls like Brady gets but every other game I watched him play in this year the non roughing the passer calls on him were Sanchez-esque.

by SantonioBurress on Dec 22, 2011 5:03 PM EST reply actions

No fine for the hit on Sanchez?

That was a bit late too, almost snapped his arm in two, and the non-call on that effectively ended any chance of the game being competitive at 28-13. JS

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by Kendrick Jay on Dec 22, 2011 5:34 PM EST reply actions

Hah, I saw Pace's comment and it reminded me of at Lonely Island song.

“I got a $15,000 fine in the mail, and I thew it on the ground!”

The NFL officiating and fine system has been a joke for years now and it’s just getting worse. Goodell needs to go just as much as Stern in the NBA.

If wouldn’t surprise me if the conspiracy theorists were right here and those clowns are just picking and choosing winners of important games to make money. I say this because when was the last time something was done to correct obvious officiating errors? They move a ref back behind the QB and BS like this continues.

When was the last time a fine was successfully appealed? It’s just a money grab by the league directly from the pockets of the players, disgraceful even considering the fact that they are taking the money from multimillionaires.

by Timmaht on Dec 22, 2011 5:40 PM EST reply actions

Its no conspiracy theory....

watch the games closely. Its hard to pick up on everything because on TV you don’t get the “all 22” view and the camera follows the ball too much. But you can see when the fix is in from just a couple of calls that don’t smell right. You think Donaghy was the only crooked ref in the NBA? You think the NFL is above such conduct? I think the difference in the NFL is that they are more likely to manage outcomes for entertainment value rather than an out and out fix for betting reasons.

by Sherman Plunkett on Dec 22, 2011 10:34 PM EST up reply actions

watching the hit live i thought it was a terrible call

now he gets fined… wow

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by NJ Champ on Dec 22, 2011 5:53 PM EST via Android app reply actions

You cannot be serious.

Seriosly? That was James Harrison’s hit but 20 times softer.

by JetKing55 on Dec 22, 2011 5:56 PM EST reply actions

It's time...

The guys need to brush up on their flag-pulling abilities because that’s where the NFL is headed. What a joke.

Also, I propose a new rule know as the “Brady Rule.” QBs who get the coddling calls like this MUST take the field wearing a miniskirt and matching pumps. Only then do they get these soft “roughing the passer” calls.

by cult hero on Dec 22, 2011 7:44 PM EST reply actions

There already is a Brady rule

Its the below knees hit on the QB.

And Brady wears Uggs, not pumps.

by EVT on Dec 23, 2011 7:51 AM EST up reply actions

The Games Are Fixed...

Or more accurately, managed. Wake up! It’s painfully obvious. If you didn’t get it after the Denver game where there were four obvious hits on Sanchez that weren’t called,( I don’t even want to go into the other calls in that game, but if you have it on tape go back and look, there’s more) this game should clear it all up. The calls against the Jets and the non-calls on their opponents are meant to influence the outcome. The league wants Tebow in the playoffs so bad they can taste it. They don’t want the Jets this year folks.. They’ll let them hang around so the NY market is engaged until week 17 but they won’t be going this year. Low hits, late hits, helmet first shots and helmet-to-helmet shots on the QB are all supposed to be penalties. See how many of them Sanchez absorbed in critical games this year without a call. Its still great entertainment, but don’t take it seriously and good lord, don’t bet on the NFL.

by Sherman Plunkett on Dec 22, 2011 10:08 PM EST reply actions

Objectively, I’d say it was obviously worthy of a flag. The rules are that you can’t make forceful contact with the QBs head and clearly forceful contact was made. So if those are the rules, then they’ve got to throw the flag.

But the fine? I dunno. I just don’t see intent here. This wasn’t a headhunting or overly violent situation.

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by JasonB on Dec 23, 2011 2:59 AM EST reply actions

Forceful contact to the head was not obvious. Looks like his helmet is in his chest.

He was going for the arm also, which you can see from the picture just released the ball. It’s not like he was launching himself up with the crown of his helmet, a la Harrison he was going straight through.

Also, how about the flag when Vick lowered his head into an oncoming defender and drew a flag. He put the crown of his helmet into the defenders chest and the defender gets a 15 yard penalty. Something has got to change because it’s ruining the game.

by Timmaht on Dec 23, 2011 8:17 AM EST up reply actions

The picture makes it pretty obvious that there was forceful contact to the head. I don’t think he meant it or was trying to, but that doesn’t really matter under the rules.

However, I think those things should matter for fines. Pace wasn’t trying to be dirty. He got the flag and that probably should have been enough.

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by JasonB on Dec 23, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions