Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks committed four penalties against the Rams, pushing his league-high total to nine, and two of those could’ve drawn fines.
Hicks was not fined, however, for his unsportsmanlike conduct (jumping on a pile) or roughing-the-passer penalties.
Hicks has been frustrated with penalty calls against him all season, but is intent on avoiding them in the future. He gave a reasonable response when asked about the officiating Friday.
“It is an issue, because you never want to put your team in bad situations,” Hicks said. “You don’t want to hurt your team. I could go out there and get tackles for a loss and two sacks, and those four penalties still sit with me at the end of the day because I’m taking away as much as I’m giving to my team.
“For me, it means a lot to be a disciplined player. It means a lot for me to be a professional. It means a lot for me to not put my team in bad situations. It is a big deal, but I’m sure it’s something I can adjust to.”
Hicks did not think he should’ve been flagged for jumping on a pile Monday because the official didn’t blow the whistle, but added that he doesn’t think the refs are out to get him.
Hicks spent much of his week wrestling with how he can still be one of the best defensive linemen in the game while being mindful of penalties.
“I had a lot of deep thought about this,” he said. “My first instinct is to say, ‘Whatever. This is just a one-off. I’m just going out there to play football. It is what it is. I’m just going to have to be better in some form or fashion the coming weeks.’
“But you can’t put your team in that situation. It’s as simple as that. You’ve gotta figure out a way to not have your teammates getting backed up 15 yards when we’re already fighting out tough situations. It just doesn’t work. So fix it, Akiem.”
