PITTSBURGH -- The NFL fined Steelers safety Tyrone Carter $5,000 on Thursday for a hit that left him with a bruised left thigh.
After Carter hit Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen in last Sunday's 17-14 Steelers loss, he played hurt and said he might have given up a game-tying touchdown pass to Johnny Knox because of it.
"They said I led with the crown of my helmet," Carter said of the league's ruling. "I watched the play over and over again and I hit him in the shoulder. So I don't know. Ask the league. Of course, I'm going to appeal."
Carter didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday because of the injury, but he said he expects to play Sunday at Cincinnati.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press