The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 5 victory over the Minnesota Vikings received some backlash after a handful of calls/decisions by the officials seemingly aided Andy Reid’s team in securing a 27-20 win – one of those calls involved cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
Late in the fourth quarter, Sneed appeared to have interfered with a Vikings wide receiver and caused the refs to call the penalty. In reaction, Sneed took his helmet off to plead his case to the officials – that, by rule, is an unsportsmanlike foul. After discussion, the officials decided to pick up the flag for pass interference and didn’t throw a flag on Sneed for taking his helmet off, and Kansas City forced a turnover on downs.
Despite no initial penalty, the NFL still fined Sneed $13,659 for unsportsmanlike conduct. Officials initially warned the three-year pro to put his helmet back on. Had the foul for unsportsmanlike penalty been enforced, Kansas City still would’ve taken over on downs since the foul occurred after the play was over.
Sneed was drafted by Kansas City in 2020 and has been a key contributor in the secondary ever since. Through six games, he already has 30 tackles in 2023.
