In the days before the AFC title game in Pittsburgh, Jets safety Eric Smith declined to elaborate on plans on retaliating against Steelers receiver Hines Ward in the event of any blind-side blocks, because Smith feared that he’d be fined.
He was fined anyway.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that Smith drew a $10,000 fine from the league office for a hit on Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
During the 2008 season, Smith received a much stiffer fine -- $50,000 -- after applying a helmet-to-helmet hit against then-Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin.
