Mike Mitchell has redeemed himself after being universally hailed as a "draft bust," becoming integral to the Carolina Panthers defense. Now the safety believes he's being unfairly targeted for fines.
Mitchell has accrued almost $45,000 in fines this season for taunting players following plays. His latest letter from the league office cited him for celebrating after knocking Sam Bradford out of bounds, tearing the ACL of the Rams quarterback.
The Panthers find themselves at 4-3 and with a need to focus on the games ahead, but Mitchell took it a step further when he said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is personally pocketing fine money. There is an established history of money being donated to charity, something that is well known in league circles.
Mitchell said it was his fifth fine of the year, including the preseason, totaling close to $45,000. Asked where the fines went, Mitchell stared into a television camera and said, "Right in Roger's pocket. Right in his pocket. On camera, right in his pocket is where it's going."
It's a minor cliff note in the week, but he needs to keep his mouth closed. Any undue attention is an unneeded distraction, and the Panthers are still getting over being a league laughing stock for Ryan Kalil's Super Bowl prediction in 2012.
Maybe instead of complaining about being fined he should stop celebrating every single play he's involved in, good or mediocre. There's no doubt he's having a great season, so it's time to let his play do the talking and leave it at that.