Arthur Moats Fined After Facemask Penalty on QB Johnny Manziel

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats had one of the worst grab-and-twist facemask penalties you'll ever see in the NFL last week on Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. Despite Moats apologizing after the game (and Manziel accepting the apology), fans wondered if Moats would face a heftier fine due to the violent nature of the offense. He did not.

The NFL announced today that Moats was fined $8,681 for the penalty, which is merely the minimum fine for a facemask:

#Steelers LB Arthur Moats was fined $8,681 for the facemask on Johnny Manziel and LB Jarvis Jones wasn't fined for concussive hit on Hawk

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 20, 2015

Linebacker Jarvis Jones escaped without any fines for the violent-looking block he put on wide receiver Andrew Hawkins in the second half. The hit led to Hawkins suffering a concussion in his first game back from a concussion.

The NFL put in a new rule this year in which interceptions can stand, but a defenseless receiver penalty could still be called for a late hit to the head/neck area on the intended receiver. When you look at the game clock, only about one second passed between the interception (Hawkins was the intended receiver) and then Jones launching himself into Hawkins' head/neck area. I think it's garbage that Jones suffered no consequences for the infraction. Will Cleveland look for any form of redemption when the two teams square off in Week 17, in Cleveland? If there's one player the team misses who wouldn't let this stuff stand, it's Phil Taylor.