The Chicago Bears' bad season just became worse.
The NFL said Friday that it had fined quarterback Jay Cutler $20,000 for abusive conduct toward a game official during a 41-21 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.
Cutler drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty with 6:24 left in the third quarter after throwing an incomplete pass to tight end Greg Olsen on a fourth-down play with the Bears trailing 34-7. Cutler apparently believed officials should have called a pass-interference penalty against the Cardinals, and he had words with referee Ed Hochuli, drawing the 15-yard penalty.
The fine came one day after Cutler threw five interceptions during a 10-6 loss at San Francisco. Cutler has thrown an NFL-worst 17 interceptions this season for the Bears (4-5), who have lost four of their last five games.
The NFL also said that Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris had been fined $7,500 for punching Cardinals offensive lineman Deuce Lutui on the fourth play from scrimmage. Harris was ejected from the game and later apologized.
Player fines collected by the league have been used to support retired player programs, including the NFL Player Care Foundation and NFLPA Players Assistance Trust, disaster relief programs and and other charities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
