Michael Oher and Tom Zbikowski

Michael Oher and teammate Tom Zbikowski were both fined $5,000 for incidents last week, with Oher claiming he was coming to the defense of teammate Todd Heap on the play that cost him the money.

Oher said he was stepping in to defend Heap, who was driven off the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns last weekend even though the play in question has been blown dead due to a false start whistle. Oher jumped into the fray and earned the penalty for his efforts, though he made it clear he would do it all again given the chance.

“That’s my teammate. You got to have your teammate’s back,” Oher said.

Oher, of course, obtained a new level of fame following the move “The Blind Side,” which chronicled his assimilation into a white family as he went through high school and headed to college to play football. Oher comes off as a gentle giant in the film, though one that is intensely loyal, a reputation he certainly upheld in Sunday’s situation. He simply stepped in to come to the aid of a fallen teammate, which, given his background, is probably the only thing he cared about at the time.