Teams could face fines for hits

Players won’t be the only ones punished for illegal hits when the NFL returns to action. Teams could be fined if their players commit multiple flagrant hits.

It’s already being called “The Anti Steelers Rule.”

According to the Associated Press, NFL vice president Adolpho Birch said Tuesday at the Spring Meeting the discipline will be financial, although he didn't rule out Commissioner Roger Goodell applying further punishment such as stripping clubs of draft choices.

Citing the "notion of club accountability," Birch said the details of the plan haven't been worked out. He said as a team's total fines increase "to a certain threshold, we will enforce some ... payback to encourage clubs to stay below that threshold."