Sam Franklin Jr.'s Suspension Decreased To A Fine

It's getting harder and harder to understand what the NFL is doing when it comes to suspensions and fines. Take Sam Franklin Jr. for an example.

Sam Franklin Jr. will not be suspended after all

Earlier this week, the NFL said that special teams player Sam Franklin Jr. would be suspended following an alleged spitting incident that took place during the Bills/Raiders game last weekend. It's an allegation that Franklin Jr. adamantly denied. He disputed the claim and was given a hearing today. They ended up decreasing the penalty to a fine instead of a suspension.

Instead of a one-game suspension, Franklin was given a fine of $14,926 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Make this fine make sense

Here's the problem with this fine from my perspective. Did he spit on someone in that game? If so, then a suspension is absolutely warranted. Don't decrease the penalty. Suspend him. This seems like a pretty black-and-white issue. Either it is, or it isn't. You've heard people say it, and it's true. There's no place for that in this game. Ask CJ Gardner-Johnson. He was suspended for the same thing.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to lose another one of our players for something that is completely preventable. I don't want to see them suspended. However, if he didn't do it, then why is there a fine? That's not a small amount of money either. Nearly $15,000 is a lot of money. Either he did it and he should be suspended, or he didn't and shouldn't have to pay anything.

We've all been looking for the footage, or at least assuming that the NFL has some kind of angle that we haven't seen. What are we missing here? Why is there a fine when there wasn't even a flag?