The way in which athletes spend their money so recklessly these days, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie really didn’t have the $21,000 to pay this fine.

It took only the first week of preseason for the NFL’s first vicious hit to happen, when Philadelphia Eagles cornerbackDominique Rodgers-Cromartie launched himself into Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich in last week’s opener.

Not surprisingly, the NFL responded, slapping Rodgers-Cromartie with a $21,000 fine Friday.

“Twenty-one thousand? I ain’t even got that,” Rodgers-Cromartie told reporters after practice.