NFL teams
Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Raiola fined $10,000 for punch

NFL, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots

A day after Detroit Lions center Dominic Raiola said he wouldn't be fined for his actions on the final drive of his team's 34-9 loss to New England on Sunday, it turned out he actually was.

NFL spokesman Michael Signora said Wednesday that Raiola was fined $10,000 for unnecessary roughness, but not for his cut block on Patriots defensive lineman Zach Moore on the game's final play. Instead, it was for a play against Moore earlier in the drive, when Moore beat him and Raiola appeared to try to club him from behind.

The league decided that Raiola unnecessarily struck his opponent on a pass play -- violating Rule 12, Section 2, Article 12(c), which doesn't allow "striking, swinging at, or clubbing the head, neck or face of an opponent with the wrist(s), arm(s), elbow(s) or hand(s)."

The veteran center said Tuesday he had no regrets about what happened at the end of the game against New England.

"There's no fine. It was during the game," Raiola said Tuesday. "I don't know about regrets. I don't live life with regrets. I know I didn't intentionally try to hurt anybody.

"I didn't try to do anything out of the ordinary. I would have gotten a FedEx letter for that, so just play the game. I mean, I didn't make it a big deal. Everybody else did."

Raiola was not flagged on the play, but the NFL said Monday that it was looking at both plays in the final minute of the game to determine potential fines.

Also, the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Lions defensive tackle C.J. Mosley was fined $22,000 for a personal foul against the Patriots where he bowled over New England's long-snapper.

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