The National Football League fined the Buffalo Bills on Friday, claiming that the team failed to disclose an injury to defensive end Mario Williams. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports had the report first but it was quickly confirmed around the Twitterverse.
Williams has had a wrist injury since at least August 27th. Since the defensive lineman didn't miss any practice reps or playing time, the team didn't feel they needed to report the injury. Williams has played more snaps than all but a handful of linemen around the league, after all. But the NFL didn't agree, slapping a $20,000 fine on the organization.
"All players with significant or noteworthy injuries must be listed on the report, even if the player takes all the reps in practice, and even if the team is certain that he will play in the upcoming game," reads the NFL's policy, per Tim Graham of The Buffalo News. "This is especially true of key players and those players whose injuries have been covered extensively by the media."
Williams played with a cast on his wrist through the first several games of the season, finally shedding it against the San Francisco 49ers. You can see the cast in the photo accompanying this article from Week 3. It is important to note that it's the team and not the player who is being fined and responsible for the disclosure on the injury report.