NFL Fines Brett Favre $10,000 for Cheap Shot on Eugene Wilson

The NFL has fined Vikings quarterback Brett Favre $10,000 for an illegal crackback block in Monday's preseason game against the Houston Texans, sending a strong message that cheap shots won't be tolerated in the league, no matter who is delivering them.

The illegal block came when Favre lined up as a wide receiver in a wildcat formation. When Vikings receiver Percy Harvin, who took the snap on the play, ran to Favre's side of the field, Favre ran inside and drilled Texans defensive back Eugene Wilson with a shot directly into his knees.

Wilson limped off the field after the hit, and Favre was correctly flagged for a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Favre insisted that he hadn't intended to hurt Wilson on the play, and Wilson was not seriously injured, but the blow was clearly illegal, and the NFL was clearly right to take action against Favre. Although a $10,000 fine represents less than one-tenth of 1% of Favre's reported 2009 salary of $12 million, the symbolic value of the fine is clear: The rules aren't just in place to protect star quarterbacks from anonymous defenders, they're also in place to protect anonymous defenders from star quarterbacks.

Is $10,000 too much? Too little? Just right? Tell me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

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