STEELERS REACT TO SEYMOUR

When you overhear a referee ask, “I lost my whistle, you got an extra?” you know that the game he’s in charge of is getting out of hand. Sunday’s game between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers was exactly that. The game would mark a new franchise record for yards penalized by the Steelers (163), who were flagged 14 times. The teams combined for 21 penalties for 218 total yards. President and co-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art Rooney II, said, “It reminds me of the old days,” as he reflected on the physical nature of the game.

When speaking to the NFL Draft Bible following the game, Rooney said, “It’s always special to beat the Raiders, no doubt about it, especially when they take a shot at your quarterback.” The referee had already lost one whistle before Oakland’s Richard Seymour decided to thrust a punch to the head of Ben Roethlisberger, who had to be helped back to the sidelines after absorbing the hit. The first whistle was lost after he told Oakland’s LaMarr Houston, “You get of here or I’ll throw you out, 99.” One whistle lost and one player ejected in the Steelers 35-3 win Sunday.

Seymour, according to an NFL spokesman, was fined $25,000 for violating Rule 12, Section 2, Article 1 (c) which prohibits “striking or clubbing with the hand to head, neck or face of an opponent.” The actions even made Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin say, “I haven’t seen a quarterback get punched since I’ve been in this league,” after the play.