Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Trent Cole was fined on Wednesday for an after-the-whistle play that resulted in a season-ending injury to Seattle Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung.
Cole told The Philadelphia Inquirer he has been fined $7,500 for a play that Seahawks coach Pete Carrollcalled "unnecessary" and
left Okung with a torn right pectoral muscle that landed him on injured reserve.
Okung and Cole were engaged on a running play to the opposite side of the field, and Cole flung Okung to the ground while holding his arm after the whistle had blown. The two players were not directly involved in the play, and Cole was not penalized.
Cole sees the play a different way.
"I'm not a dirty player," Cole said Wednesday. "At the time, all the stuff that led up to that, there was a lot of stuff that happened in that game. ... Watch that game closely and key on Okung and key on me and you'll see what I'm talking about."
Okung had to be restrained and pulled away from Cole after the game ended, and on Friday Carroll called the play "out of line."
"I heard his comments," Cole said of Carroll. "You all seen what happened. The guy was on my back after the whistle. He was holding me the whole game. If you look at that play he had me hooked. I'm running to the ball and he had me hooked."
Cole did not say whether or not he would appeal the fine, according to The Inquirer.
The Seahawks have now lost Okung and rookie linemen James Carpenter and John Moffitt to season-ending injuries.
