In what should be a recurring theme this week, the NFL has fined Denver Broncos coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio for their dealings with replacement officials last Monday night.
Fox was fined $30,000 and Del Rio $25,000, according to NFL.com and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who cited sources with knowledge of the situation. The league later confirmed the fines in a statement released by Ray Anderson, executive vice president of football operations.
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"There is a longstanding NFL rule prohibiting verbal or physical abuse of game officials," the statement read.
The timing adds some intrigue here. The NFL's decision to hold off until Monday to announce the fines plays into the theory that the league was waiting to see how Week 3 played out before following through on its discipline. When Sunday brought another day of replacement ref drama, the home office sent its message.
ESPN.com reported Sunday that the league went as far as to call the Georgia Dome at halftime to remind Fox and Del Rio to temper their criticism.
"There's nothing much to say, other than that the league has its policy, there are procedures," Fox said. "It's kind of an in-house thing."
Expect more coaching discipline shortly. The league confirmed to Around the League on Monday morning that it's investigating an incident with officials involving Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
"When I overheard the official tell the head coach that the game was over after the false-start penalty, I tried to explain that the game was not over," Kyle Shanahan said in a statement. "That is what resulted in the unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. I tried to get an explanation of how I could get that penalty when half of the other team was on the field as well."
On Sunday night, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick grabbed at the forearm of an official while running off the field after a last-second loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
"I've coached in this league a long time and I've never been penalized, never had any incidents with officials or anything like that," Belichick said Monday. "I have never meant any disrespect or in any way tried to abuse or be disrespectful to the officials and the job that they do. I was trying to get an explanation for obviously an important call, play, in that game, and that's the No. 1 thing between coaches and officials that's always at the forefront is just communication of what's going on, what's happening."
Anderson's statement indicated both incidents are being reviewed.
The good news in all this ... wait, there is no good news. NFL.com and NFL Network's Albert Breer reported Monday the league and locked-out officials made very little progress before the latest round of talks broke off at about 10 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus
