Fans Astounded Over NFL Fining Ben Roethlisberger for Apple Watch

John Newby

10/06/2019 04:00 pm EDT

Saturday evening, ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that the NFL had fined Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger $5,000 for wearing an Apple Watch during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, this news created quite a stir on social media considering that Roethlisberger has been out of the lineup since suffering an elbow injury. He has undergone surgery and will not be returning until the 2020 season. Given this bit of information, the fans wanted to know why this fine was being handed down.

As it turns out, the league has very specific policies against the use of electronic devices that can transmit messages. The goal is to avoid any potential cheating that could be achieved through text messages. Granted, this has primarily only been an issue in terms of social media.

Back in 2010, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson was fined $25,000 for tweeting from the sidelines. He wasn't particularly upset about getting caught by the league, but did complain about missing two Bugatti payments.

Roethlisberger, however, didn't tweet from the sidelines, nor did he use his Apple Watch. He just wore the accessory while watching backup quarterback Mason Rudolph lead his team to victory.

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One of the biggest questions lobbed toward Schefter when he revealed Roethlisberger had been fined was "why?" For many football fans, this appeared to be a very strange decision by the league. It's a watch, and the Steelers quarterback wasn't even playing.

According to one individual on Twitter, this simply boils down to the league rules. Electronics that transmit messages aren't allowed on the sidelines, and this is just the latest example.

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While there were many fans on Twitter that found the fine to be ridiculous, there were many others that felt that $5,000 wasn't enough. In their opinion, the league should have simply levied a very harsh punishment. In this instance, take away all of the draft picks.

Granted, this comment was mostly made in jest, but it aligns with many views expressed about Roethlisberger and the Steelers. This team is fairly divisive to the point that fans of opposing teams want them to suffer from major losses and hefty fines.

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There were many responses to Roethlisberger's fine, including an overwhelming majority that simply viewed the punishment as random. Yes, the rule about electronic devices is straightforward, but there were many that had more questions.

For example, was there another figure in the stadium that also had an Apple Watch? Was Big Ben sending discreet messages during the game? It's very unlikely, but the fans still want to know for sure.

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As Schefter, Jay Glazer, and Ian Rapoport have learned over the years, being an NFL insider is not the easiest job. There are many fake accounts that are constantly leaking made up stories to generate hype.

This trend has actually led to fans doing a double-take every time that they see a story that could be viewed as potentially fake. This story about the fine fell into this category as many football fans wondered why the league would be concerned about an Apple Watch.

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The league has been under constant scrutiny during the 2019 season. Blown calls by the referees have created an uproar nearly every week while the punishments handed down to players have created debates about what is actually justified.

In the opinion of many football fans, the simple fact that the league is fining Roethlisberger for this Apple Watch is just another example of the issues permeating the NFL. They don't understand the focus on this issue when there are more important matters in play.

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Yes, the league rules prohibit players from using electronic devices that transmit messages on the sidelines during games. Cell phones and smartwatches alike fall under this category, so Roethlisberger being fined is not entirely unexpected. However, this punishment still doesn't make sense to many.

One of the common responses to this punishment news is that football fans don't understand the big deal with Roethlisberger's fine. Is there really a competitive advantage for someone on Injured Reserve to wear a smartwatch?

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Whenever a punishment is handed down by the league offices, there are constant debates about how these punishments are determined. What goes into the decisions about fines, ejections, and other issues? Of course, the majority of these debates go back to the New England Patriots.

In this instance, fans were astounded by Patriots cornerback, Patrick Chung being indicted on cocaine charges while team owner Robert Kraft was dealing with legal issues stemming from a sting at a massage parlor. In both of these cases, the league has stated that it is monitoring the legal proceedings, but no punishment has been handed down.

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