Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson has been slapped with a hefty fine of $25,000 by the NFL for his comments criticizing the officials following the team's 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8. Johnson's remarks suggested that the referees may have received illicit payments to make calls against the Steelers.

The fine was confirmed by ProFootballTalk, who reported that Johnson's comments led to the league taking action. According to ESPN, Johnson expressed his frustration after the game, stating, "Refs were just killing us the whole game. The same refs we had at training camp. I didn't like the refs today. At the end of the day, we can't keep complaining about the refs. Like Coach [Mike Tomlin] say, we can't worry about the refs, whatever. But everybody's different."

Johnson's main grievance stemmed from a penalty called right before halftime. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell successfully kicked a 55-yard field goal that would have closed the gap to just three points. However, the referees determined there was an offsides penalty and the play was nullified. On the subsequent attempt, Boswell missed the kick.

The NFL holds players and coaches to different standards when it comes to criticizing officiating. While coaches face severe consequences for their remarks, with the league having little tolerance for backtalk, players have slightly more freedom to express their opinions about the referees.

However, when a player insinuates that the officials may have received extra compensation or bribes for biased calls, the NFL takes a stern stance. The league does not appreciate such insinuations, and Johnson's comments crossed that line. Consequently, the substantial fine serves as a clear warning to all players about the consequences of such accusations.

If Johnson wishes to avoid further financial penalties, he will likely exercise greater caution in his future comments regarding officiating. The NFL's response sends a strong message that insinuating corrupt behavior from the referees will not be tolerated, ensuring the integrity of the game remains intact.