Jamal Adams Says NFL is 'a Damn Joke' After Being Fined for Hit on Baker Mayfield

Adams called the league "a damn joke" for the penalty.

Jets safety Jamal Adams blasted the NFL on Wednesday for fining him for a late hit on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield during Monday night's game.

Adams, who was called for roughing the passer on the play, was fined $21,000 for the penalty. The hit came on a third-and-8 midway through the first quarter when Mayfield rolled out to his left and tossed an incomplete pass in the face of Adams's oncoming rush.

"This league is a damn joke!" Adams tweeted. "I just got fined $21k for this hit, I signed up to play football not two hand touch. Bulls---! I don’t give a damn about these soft rules protecting QBs. Im gonna play MY brand of football everytime I step on the field. SMH."

This league is a damn joke! I just got fined $21k for this hit, I signed up to play football not two hand touch. Bullshit! I don’t give a damn about these soft rules protecting QBs. Im gonna play MY brand of football everytime I step on the field. SMH pic.twitter.com/SKlTmBBMf0

— Jamal Adams (@Prez) September 19, 2019

Adams was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter after committing penalties on back-to-back plays. The safety said he was benched, though coach Adam Gase said on Wednesday that the decision was not performance-related.

"I thought he was getting fired up pretty good, and I clicked over [to the defensive coaches] and I was like, 'Hey, we need to be careful here,'" Gase said, per ESPN. "I was worried that something bad was going to happen, we need him for the next week. They were smart and they pulled him off. I said, 'Just calm him down,' and then we were off the field.

"To me, I didn't look at that as benching," Gase continued. "That was more like, 'Hey, let's just calm him down.' There was no hidden meaning behind it. That was my gut reaction."

The Jets next play the Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.