Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back hit with hefty fine after Lions matchup

It was an ugly outing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Detroit Lions, but for one player in particular, that outing got a little bit worse over the weekend.

Running back Rachaad White took the majority of the team’s snaps in the running back room against the Lions, playing on 90% of the offense’s snaps. He also had 10 carries on the day, and one of those carries is going to put a dent in his wallet — the NFL fined White $46,371 for leading with his head during a carry during the game last Monday, per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero.

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here’s the play in question that warranted the fine:

The NFL fined #Bucs RB Rachaad White $46,371 for use of the helmet on this play Monday night. pic.twitter.com/DJaCqqH42q

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2025The NFL’s rule on “impermissible use of the helmet,” which White is being fined for here, is as follows:

“It is a foul if a player a) lowers his head and makes forcible contact with his helmet against an opponent; or b) uses any part of his helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck.”

This is also not White’s first offense with this penalty, as he was also fined for the same thing last year. As a result, he’s set to pay $46,371 for this offense as opposed to the typical fine a player would receive for their first offense, which would be $23,186.

White himself reacted to receiving the fine on his Instagram story:

Rachaad White emoji response to his $46,371 fine for lowering his helmet in loss to Lions … pic.twitter.com/fMd9BlzmgN

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 25, 2025White won’t dwell on it too much, of course, as he’s set to once again be the lead back as Bucky Irving continues to recover from foot and shoulder injuries he suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. His next task will be to put up some yards against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in an effort to get the Bucs one more win and head into the bye week with a 6-2 record.

The Buccaneers will face off against the Saints in New Orleans at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.

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