Bears CB Kyle Fuller avoids fine for hit on Lions’ Jeff Driskel, grabbing official

LOS ANGELES — Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller was not fined for his unnecessary roughness penalty or his rare outburst toward the officials in the win over the Lions last week.

Fuller was flagged after a hit on sliding Lions quarterback Jeff Driskel that was ruled to be either late or an illegal shot to the head. Driskel tried to get a few extra yards and slid late, and it was unclear on replay whether Fuller actually made contact with his helmet or it was just a vigorous shoulder-to-shoulder collision.

The league did not further penalize Fuller for the hit or what happened next, a source said. Fuller immediately got into it with three officials and was pulled away by safety Eddie Jackson.

Fuller tried to show referee Carl Cheffers the replay on the big screen at Soldier Field, and when Cheffers refused to look at it, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Cheffers could have flagged him and possibly ejected him for that, but let it go.

“His emotions got a little bit of the best of him there,” coach Matt Nagy said of Fuller. “But he understood and he knows that he’s got to control his emotions a little bit better.”

The NFL reviews all roughing-the-passer and sportsmanship-related penalties. Typically, the decision to fine or not unofficially signals whether the league agreed with the call on the field.
Fuller is one of the Bears’ least likely players to erupt, and it was rough timing for that type of incident as the Bears chose him for their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award four days later.