NFL fines Turpin and Steward $17,524 for plays in Cowboys’ Houston win

KaVontae Turpin and Reddy Steward have been fined a combined $17,524 for separate third-quarter plays in Dallas’ October 4 win over Houston. The NFL’s Week 4 accountability table lists an $11,941 taunting fine for Turpin and a $5,583 unnecessary-roughness fine for Steward, classified as a hit on a defenseless player.

Both incidents came within seven seconds of game-clock time. Steward’s entry is marked 10:57 remaining in the third quarter; Turpin’s is marked 10:50. The amounts are the individual assessments posted by the league. They concern the Cowboys’ 34-30 road victory over the Texans, a game Dallas completed a week before this Sunday’s slate.

Cowboys Wire reporter Todd Brock explained that Steward’s foul came while defending a Nico Collins touchdown catch in the end zone. The penalty did not erase the score and instead affected the ensuing extra-point attempt. Turpin’s incident came on the following kickoff return, when Brock reported that the returner appeared to gesture toward Houston’s sideline.

Turpin was not penalized on the field for that action, according to Brock. The NFL nevertheless identified taunting in its later review. That sequence illustrates the separate review that continues after the officials leave the field: a play can draw a financial assessment even when it produced no penalty during the game.

The league says its officiating department reviews every play and refers potential violations to Football Operations compliance staff. A player receives notice of the infraction, the relevant video, the amount assessed and instructions for an appeal. An appeals officer jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association can uphold or rescind the discipline. The posted Week 4 entries do not establish an appeal outcome for either Cowboy.

Collected fines support the Professional Athletes Foundation and NFL Foundation, according to the league’s published process. Dallas’ next scheduled game is October 18 at Green Bay, with kickoff listed for 7:20 p.m. Central. The Cowboys already played their Week 5 game Thursday, losing 24-16 to Tampa Bay.

Sources

NFL Week 4 accountability table · Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire: two Dallas players fined · NFL fines and appeals process · Dallas Cowboys official schedule