The crowd taunts Montreal Alouettes linebacker Shea Emry as he is escorted off the field after being given a game misconduct during the first half of CFL action against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Sask., Saturday, October 20, 2012Liam Richards/The Canadian Press
Shea Emry is a little light in the wallet — again.
The CFL fined the Montreal Alouettes linebacker Wednesday for punching an opponent in the groin. It marks the third time this season Emry has been slapped with a financial penalty from the league.
Emry was fined for punching Saskatchewan offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte in the first half of Montreal's 34-28 road win over the Roughriders last weekend. The league also fined Alouettes defensive end John Bowman for publicly criticizing an opponent.
The exact amounts of the fines weren't disclosed as per league policy. Under terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement with the CFL Players' Association, the most a player can be fined is half his game cheque.
The fine was issued after Emry spoke with CFL commissioner Mark Cohon on Wednesday.
Since Emry is a repeat offender, there were suggestions he could have been suspended this time around. If the league had gone that route, Emry would have been able to appeal and be allowed to continue playing until a hearing was held.
Emry can't appeal the fine. Both he and Bowman will be eligible to play Sunday against the Edmonton Eskimos.
As the Riders were setting up for the convert following Weston Dressler's 66-yard punt return for a TD on Saturday, Emry brushed kicker Sandro DeAngelis before hitting Labatte.
The incident, caught by television cameras, resulted in Emry receiving a rough play penalty and disqualification late in the first half.
Emry later apologized to fans of both teams as well as Cohon on his Twitter account. He also said he had personally apologized to LaBatte.
"That's not the person I am off the field nor is it an (example) I want to set for youth that are watching me on the field," Emry tweeted. "It was a mindless act that isn't admirable."
LaBatte reacted to the league's decision on his Twitter account.
"Hoping I get a portion of (at)sheaemry41 's fine since I took a shot in the pills and now have to have that bone headed play linked to me #shaepays," he tweeted.
Bowman, though, seemed to take a rather light-hearted approach to being fined.
"Can't afford 2 rent a movie lol," he tweeted. "#AppleTv #unlocked. Catching up on my #DEXTER and #Homeland 2 nite."
After the game, Bowman accused Saskatchewan centre Dominic Picard of trying to break Emry's leg. Bowman also called the veteran offensive lineman the CFL's dirtiest player, which isn't the first time Bowman made such a statement about Picard.
On Tuesday, Picard, a native of Ste-Foy, Que., claimed Bowman called him a "frog." When reporters asked Bowman on Wednesday about Picard's comment, he emphatically denied using the term.
Emry was reportedly fined $1,000 for an illegal hit on Calgary Stampeders quarterback Drew Tate on July 1. He was fined a second time for an illegal block on special teams July 27 against the Toronto Argonauts.
The fines tarnish what has been a solid season for the 26-year-old native of Richmond, B.C., who was taken in the first round, seventh overall, by Montreal in the 2008 CFL draft out of the University of British Columbia.
The six-foot, 220-pound Emry is tied with Chip Cox for the team lead in tackles with 78 and is Montreal's leading candidate for the CFL's top Canadian award.