Donte Whitner aka “Hitner” goes off on the NFL; Claims he has been fined 5 times and won every appeal
Donte Whitner has already said he is changing his legal name to “Hitner” and boy he showcased his frustration with the NFL today, after he was called for a very costly penalty that could have really lost the Niners the game against the Falcons. Whitner went off about the penalty.
“It shows I shouldn’t be penalized in the first place,” Whitner said Thursday. “It’s hurting our football team.”
Whitner said he was not fined for a play in which he was penalized Monday in the 49ers’ 34-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He said it was the fifth time he’s been penalized without a corresponding fine. Whitner was initially fined $21,000 for a hit against St. Louis in Week 4 but said he won his appeal.
His penalty Monday night was critical. It was in the red zone and came on third down. Had he not been penalized, the Falcons would have been forced to attempt a field goal. Instead, the new life led to a touchdown that gave Atlanta a 7-3 lead. Whitner was asked if he thinks such plays should be reviewable.
“Yes, they should,” he said. “They do in college. Why not in the National Football League? Let’s get it right. … Too many times a play looks bad and the official throws the flag, but it ends up being a clean play. … Just because it’s a powerful hit doesn’t mean it’s an illegal hit.”
While I think Donte Whitner talks out his butt a lot of the times, I have to actually agree with him on this one. He does hit clean a lot of the times, so it will be interesting to see how the NFL takes his latest trash talking.
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