During the final seconds of last week’s AFC Championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai was flagged for a crucial penalty after a late hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The penalty likely cost the Bengals the game, as it gave Kansas City 15 yards, setting up a game-winning field goal. But the good news for Ossai is that it won’t cost him monetarily.
According to NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFL has decided that the league will not give a fine to Joseph Ossai for his late hit on Mahomes.
“It is interesting given the NFL fined 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga $4,916 for hitting Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts out of bounds late in the third quarter,” Florio pointed out on Pro Football Talk.
Ossai faced quite a bit of criticism following the costly late hit as Bengals teammate Germaine Pratt was caught on camera absolutely blasting Ossai for his penalty, though he did apologize for his comments later in the week.
Regardless, it won’t be easy for Ossai or the Bengals to move on during the offseason after such a costly, game-deciding penalty like that.
