Josh Norman to appeal Week 15’s fine

Josh Norman plans to appeal his fine stemming from the on-field altercation he had with Odell Beckham, Jr. in Week 15’s game versus the New York Giants.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman is appealing his fines stemming from his on-field altercation with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Norman states that his intentional face mask of Beckham on the second play from scrimmage was a response to Beckham’s overblown reaction.

The Week 15 matchup between the Panthers and the Giants was one of great interest in the NFL. Carolina remained undefeated at 13-0, playing a sub-.500 team in the Giants that was contending for a division title in the down NFC East. Norman had become one of the league’s best cornerbacks in 2015. Beckham emerged as the best wideout in his 2014 NFL Draft class.

What transpired on Sunday was too ridiculous to make up. The Panthers carried baseball bats on the field at MetLife Stadium as part of a pre-game ritual to “bring the wood”. This supposedly provoked Beckham, causing him to attack Norman early in the first quarter. Norman had been critical of Beckham’s ego-centricity and style prior to the two teams’ meeting in Week 15.

While it makes sense for Norman to appeal his Week 15, he likely won’t get it overturned just like Beckham won’t likely have his Week 16 suspension overturned. A marquee player-on-player matchup in Week 15 turned into a schoolyard fight stemming around baseball bats and Christmas themed football cleats.

In a week that had a ton on the line for playoff implications, this was an embarrassing situation for the NFL and don’t expect the league to back down from its initial ruling on the debacle at MetLife.