 GREEN
BAY - Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said Friday he would appeal
the second fine he received in as many weeks from the NFL.
Barnett was fined $7,500 earlier this
week for a helmet-to-helmet contact on a hit of Detroit quarterback
Jon Kitna in the last game.
"I know they're trying to
protect the players, but at the same time, we're trying to play
football," Barnett said. "Do I think mine is an official
fine? I don't think I hit him hard enough with my helmet."
Barnett was fined $7,500 last week
for a horse-collar tackle of Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson
in the Packers' opener Sept. 8.
The sixth-year player also forfeited
his paycheck for the first week of the season as punishment for
violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Barnett was charged
with two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct for an incident at
an Appleton, Wis., nightclub in the offseason last year, but later
reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
The fines leveled against Barnett for
his game conduct have come as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is
putting an emphasis on player safety. Goodell sent a memo to teams
this week warning that players who endanger the safety of other
players would be subject to increased disciplinary measures.
"It's hard to play physical
without playing physical," said Barnett, who wasn't called for
a penalty for either punishable act in the last two games.
"I understand (being punished
for) hitting someone when they're in a defenseless position or
trying to hurt somebody," Barnett said. "I definitely have
never done that before. In these (recent) incidents, they weren't
that. I'm not trying to fight the NFL. I'm just trying to be
fair."
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