A Kansas City Chiefs player has been hit with a heavy fine despite the team on an NFL bye week.

The Chiefs have begun the season perfectly with a spotless 5-0 record as they hunt down a remarkable third Super Bowl in in a row. Andy Reid’s side weren’t in action over the weekend with the team on a bye week and won’t be back on the field until Sunday.

However, one player’s weekend off was interrupted after he received a severe fine from the NFL after an incident during their week five victory against the New Orleans Saints last Monday. The punishment was announced on Saturday when the NFL announced reprimands from the previous game week.

The Chiefs’ defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was slapped with an $11,817 fine, which will come out of his paycheck, for unnecessary roughness. The unsportsmanlike act is said to have happened after an attack on the face mask area of Saints guard Lucas Patrick.

The 26-year-old used his open left hand to strike his opponent, which sent Patrick’s head backwards. The incident, which was called a penalty by the officials in the fourth quarter, was spotted by live Monday Night Football TV cameras.

Wharton’s season has started excellently, as he ranks second amongst his team-mates in sacks with 1.5. The long-time team-mate of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce helped the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowls and has started the season impressively, winning 11 tackles.

Tershawn Wharton

Tershawn Wharton has been fined by the NFL after striking an opponent

The 26-year-old went undrafted in the 2020 draft after playing collegiately at Missouri S&T. He was swiftly signed by the Chiefs as a free agent and made the roster out of training camp before making his NFL debut just months later in the season opener in September.

After tearing his ACL during the 2022 season, Wharton returned the following year, recording two sacks, one fumble recovery, and 21 tackles across last season, including in Super Bowl LVIII where the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22. The fifth-year chose to stay in Kansas during the off-season, signing a one-year extension with the franchise worth $2.75million, where he’s been excelling alongside All-Pro Chris Jones in the middle of the line at defensive tackle.

The Chiefs will be back on the field in week seven in a Super Bowl rematch against the 49ers, who weathered a comeback from the Seattle Seahawks in week six to win 36-24 and bring their record to 3-3 this season.