PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher thinks it's perfectly understandable for a player to protect an undefended teammate during a fight. What he won't excuse is an ejection for doing so.

Cowher won't further reprimand wide receiver Plaxico Burress for being tossed from Sunday's 31-18 victory in Baltimore after Burress caught two touchdown passes. But he said there's a lesson to be learned by Burress in how far he can go in standing up for himself or a teammate.

"He's going to be fined by the league, as he should be,'' Cowher said Tuesday. "Do I understand what took place? Yes. But I'm not condoning it.''

With the Steelers leading 28-3 late in the second quarter, Ravens cornerback James Trapp intercepted Tommy Maddox's pass and returned it 11 yards before being shoved out of bounds by receiver Antwaan Randle El.

As the play ended, Burress saw fellow receiver Hines Ward exchanging words with Ravens cornerback Chris McAllister and began to move in. But as players swarmed the area, Trapp jumped on Burress and pulled off the receiver's helmet.

Burress then got up and charged toward the middle of the field, causing the officials to eject him for being out of control. Trapp also was thrown out, a penalty that carries an automatic fine to be determined by the NFL.

Afterward, Burress apologized to his teammates. Defensive back Lee Flowers said the apology wasn't necessary, saying, "He (Trapp) jumped on him with two feet. There's no place in the league for that.''

Cowher said the Steelers sent tape of what happened to the NFL.

"We've addressed it as a team, and we'll address it (Wednesday) when the players come back,'' Cowher said. "I thought what Plax did was appropriate, but there is a lesson to be learned. As a coach, you like for your players to defend one another and I wouldn't expect it to be any different. At the same time, you've got to use good judgment and be smart about your actions, because there can be an effect that can hinder the team.''

The way he is playing now, the Steelers want to keep Burress on the field whenever possible. After making only two catches in two games before Maddox replaced Kordell Stewart, Burress has 30 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns in five games.

Cowher reminded his players that those who react to skirmishes often get a stiffer penalty than those who provoke it.

"You certainly don't want to leave a guy out there when a situation takes place,'' Cowher said. "But you have to make sure you don't do anything in the heat of the moment emotionally -- that's spontaneous. If the official doesn't see what happened first ... you get reprimanded and you get thrown out of game. Those are the things you have to avoid.''