Here's How a Joke Cost T.J. Watt $10K

The 2021 NFL season was one to remember for Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt. Watt tied the single-season sack record in Week 18, but got caught up in a ludicrous league fine in the process.

It all started with a joke Watt made during an appearance on the The Dan Patrick Show, and ended with the league office sending him down a $10K fine.

The four-time Pro Bowler dropped Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley in the first half of this Week 18 clash, bringing his season total to 22.5 and tying Michael Strahan's all-time record. There was some confusion, though, as Watt had already tackled Huntley for a loss on a botched snap earlier in the half.

Thinking he may have actually broken the record, Watt joked during this media interview that he checked his phone at halftime to see if the league credited him with one or two sacks.

Watt later claimed he didn't actually check his phone, as that's against league policies, but not before word had reached the NFL. In turn, the league office handed him down one decent fine.

All in all, it's a small price to pay for one of the league's best pass-rushers and he can sleep soundly at night knowing he's right atop the NFL record board with an insane 22.5 sacks last year.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.