ALAMEDA, Calif. – Oakland defensive lineman Tyler Brayton was fined $25,000 and Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens was fined $15,000 Wednesday for an altercation at the end of their game earlier in the week.

Brayton was ejected in the final minutes of the Raiders’ 16-0 loss to the Seahawks on Monday night for kneeing Stevens in the groin at the end of a play.

“I feel like I let a lot of people down. I embarrassed myself, my family, the Raiders organization, the entire NFL,” Brayton said. “For that, I apologize. I kind of allowed my personal frustrations and emotions to get the best of me. My actions are inexcusable, provoked or unprovoked. I also apologize to Jerramy Stevens and Seattle Seahawks. Doesn’t matter what the situation was, I had no right to do that.”

Gene Washington, the NFL’s director of football operations, ruled that Stevens attempted to kick Brayton in the groin area earlier on the same play, leading to his fine.

Washington also ruled that Stevens head-butted and taunted Oakland safety Stuart Schweigert on a play in the second quarter. Stevens was called for a personal foul for both his infractions, but not ejected from the game.

Stevens wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Raiders coach Art Shell made a point Tuesday of showing the league why he believed Stevens was the instigator, a contention Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren disagreed with.

“You get two teams, two coaches, you look at the same play and see it differently. I mean, that’s pretty normal,” he said. “We all want the same thing, for the game to be played properly, within the rules, all those things. And sometimes it’s necessary to send a message. I certainly will have my opinions. I will keep them to myself, though.”

Holmgren said he did talk to his players Wednesday about what he called “selfish” acts that take away from the team’s objectives. He said he would talk to Stevens specifically later in the week.

“Those are things that really bother me a lot,” Holmgren said. “It is such a great game, and such a great team effort to get something done, that to have someone put themselves above the team in any way, it just bothers me. That’s a no-no. I ranted and raved a little bit this morning. But I think I explained to them why. They got to know how I feel.”

Brayton said he initially feared he could be suspended after hearing television commentators compare him to Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth, who was suspended for five games by the NFL earlier this year for stomping on Dallas center Andre Gurode’s face.

He admitted it’s difficult to watch the play again.

“It’s ugly from my end no matter what you look at it,” he said. “A bigger man would have walked away and I’m disappointed in myself for that. But every time I look at the TV, I just cringe. That’s not the type of player that I want to be.”

The league also told both players that future infractions of this type could lead to suspensions.



AP Sports Writer Gregg Bell in Kirkland, Wash., contributed to this report.

AP-ES-11-08-06 1707EST


Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.