The NFL just fined 49ers star Kyle Juszczyk nearly $15,000 for pretending to chug a beer, and Jason Kelce couldn’t help but point out the irony. This is the same league that has beer ads running through every broadcast.
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Kelce’s bigger issue is the timing. He noted that Bud Light has been the league’s official beer sponsor since 2011, so the sudden crackdown felt “very weird.”
“Correct,” Jason Kelce said on New Heights. “Yeah. The NFL has beer labeled off of like every single thing in the stadiums. Like you just said, it’s on every commercial break. They’re an official sponsor of the NFL. It feels just very weird that all of a sudden they’re cracking down on this one specific thing.”
To see why Kelce is so fired up, go back to Week 2, when the San Francisco 49ers faced the Miami Dolphins. During that matchup, after Kyle Juszczyk scored a touchdown, he threw his head back and pretended to take a big swig of something. A few seconds later, he was back to business. The NFL, though, had other plans. The league sent the 49ers fullback a $14,926 fine for the moment, and it landed right after the $20,033 he’d already been fined in Week 1 for illegal use of the helmet.
In its fine letter, the league said the gesture “constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.” It pointed to Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, the unsportsmanlike conduct rule that bans “offensive demonstrations.”
In the league’s eyes, Juszczyk was chugging a beer. However, Juszczyk, for his part, says the whole thing is a misunderstanding.
“I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration,” he told reporters. “I think you guys all know, my nickname is Juice. I have juice on my pads. The stadium yells juice when I catch the ball. When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been that way for years. “So I was surprised as anybody when I got a fine this past week for it.”
He has appealed, and a doubleheader hearing was set for Tuesday that will also cover the separate $20,033 fine. As of now, no appeal result has been publicly reported, so it’s still unclear whether the NFL will back down.
Social media had some fun with it, too. Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, and George Kittle’s wife, Claire, used their shared Instagram account, @wifedupmicdup, to post a photo of themselves striking the same pose.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham commented, “NFL Acting Like the WNBA,” a wink at the strict conduct policing her own league is known for.
“Hypocrisy at the highest level,” Kelce said. He wasn’t done there. “They dinged a couple other guys, too, didn’t they? Is it really that egregious? Yeah, exactly. I feel like unless there’s something way out of line, what are we doing here, guys?”
Juszczyk also wasn’t the only player stung that week. Colts right guard Matt Goncalves was fined $8,847 for the same gesture after Tyler Warren’s first-quarter touchdown in Week 2. He plans to appeal. Goncalves is in his third season in Indianapolis and has never been in serious trouble on or off the field.
One source called his fine “ridiculous,” and another called it “stupid,” especially with Bud Light’s long-standing deal in mind.
Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was also hit. The league fined him $13,611 for the same gesture after his touchdown catch against the Commanders in Week 2.
Three players were fined for what looks like the same harmless celebration by a league that sells beer across almost every broadcast. Whatever happens with the appeals, Kelce’s question isn’t going away anytime soon.