Detroit Lions’ safety Brian Branch has been paying a tax to play football, not to the IRS, but to the NFL’s front office in New York. Over three seasons, the league has fined the safety over $130,000, a sum that has just increased and become a lot more complicated .

In the fourth quarter, Detroit’s gritty 38-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens , a low block from the safety resulted in the most recent fine. The play cost the Lions 15 yards on the field, and Branch another $11,598 from his bank account. The player was hit with two separate $11,593 fines following the Packers game – one for taunting and another for a facemask penalty.

Head Coach Dan Campbell would be keeping a closer eye on all the penalties that the team is conceding. The thing is, not everyone saw a penalty

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