With the NFL taking very proactive measures to increase player safety, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number and amount of fines levied on NFL players. This past weekend, Ndamukong Suh was reportedly fined $20K (his third offense) for a hit on Bengals QB Andy Dalton and in 2010 Steelers James Harrison was fined over $100,000. So, where does that fine money go?

Answer: According to nflcommunications.com:

All on field fine money collected by the NFL is used for charitable purposes. These funds have beenused to support retired player programs, including the NFL Player Care Foundation and NFLPA Players Assistance Trust; disaster relief initiatives; and health-related charities.

Coaches fines are handled in the same manner, and the payments come directly out of the player or coach’s salary.

Such beneficiaries of this fine money include, but aren’t limited to, the Brian Piccolo Fund, The Vincent T.

Lombardi Cancer Research Center, the ALS Neuromuscular Research Foundation, and the NFLPA Player Assistance Trust. In January of 2010, the NFL reportedly donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross for earthquake relief aid in Haiti.

All charitable causes are agreed upon by the NFL and the NFL Players Association. According to NFL Director of Community Affairs David Krichavsky, “Every letter notifying the player of a fine indicates where the fine money goes.” Krichavsky also says that are often solicited by charities and some players even request money go to a specific charity, but they “don’t cater to specific requests.”

Sources: USAToday, UniformViolation.com, NFLCommunications.com