Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports in Houston is reporting that Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will be fined but not suspended following the brawl with Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan that got both players ejected from yesterday's 20-0 Texans win.
If the report holds true, Johnson will be available to play against the Eagles on Thursday night in Lincoln Financial Field.
The altercation in question occurred after Finnegan hit Johnson in the facemask immediately following a snap. What began as a standard NFL-style scrape escalated when both players' helmets came off and Johnson landed several blows to Finnegan's head. Finnegan is widely considered one of the "dirtiest" players in the league.
With Johnson now likely to play against the Eagles, the status of cornerback Asante Samuel, who missed Sunday's 31-26 loss to the Chicago Bears with a knee sprain, becomes even more important.
UPDATE: Jason La Canfora of NFL Network is reporting that Johnson has been fined $25,000 and will indeed not be suspended. The $25,000 fine is the same amount that Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour was fined last week for one punch to the helmet of Steelers quarterback and is less than the $40,000 fine levied to Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel for a debatable unnecessary roughness penalty on a hit of Giants wide receiver Derek Hagan.
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 2:51 p.m., November 29
