The Dallas Cowboys were excited for their first game in Brazil as they looked forward to it as a “business trip.” But hardly did the Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson expect to get fined before flying to Brazil, and that too for celebrating a touchdown. The NFL decided to dampen the Cowboys’ mood by handing Ferguson a fine of $13,611. The reason? Ferguson pretended to shotgun a beer. But the player claims that it was not beer. 

“I’m going to tell you right now, that was a Gatorade,” he shared on 105.3 The Fan podcast on September 24. “Shotgun to Gatorade. Right. I don’t know what other people thought it could have been because I may have got a letter in the mail. But it was Gatorade.”

His interview came days before he flew to Brazil to face off against the Baltimore Ravens. The Dallas Cowboys arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday morning. Days later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the fine. 

“Another round: Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson was fined $13,611 for what the NFL said was his ‘imitation of shotgunning a beer’ Sunday vs. Washington that ‘constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,’” he wrote on X. 

Ferguson landed in trouble after he took part in a little celebration on the gridiron in honor of a touchdown against the Washington Commanders in a 37-20 Week 2 win at AT&T Stadium. 

Even though the fine amount came days later, after the game, Ferguson knew he could be in trouble. But for CeeDee Lamb, it was unexpected. After Lamb hauled in eight passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, he was summoned for a substance test. After Lamb hauled in eight passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, he was summoned for a substance test. It says a lot about how impactful Lamb’s performance was in that game. Similarly, Ferguson got the urine sample test, which he revealed on the podcast.

“Not right after (the game), but today I did,” he said. 

The NFL did not take into account the production he brought to the gridiron. After all, the Cowboys tight end finished with 4 receptions for 43 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Since joining Dallas as the No. 129 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ferguson has developed into a steady contributor for the Cowboys. The fifth-year tight end has totaled 237 receptions, 2,078 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns in his career, all with Dallas. Jerry Jones should be pleased with the production the 6-foot-5 tight end has provided. But this fine blemishes an otherwise spotless record of on-field production. 

However, this is not the first time that Ferguson has come under the NFL radar for his on-field antics. Back in December 2023, Ferguson got into a verbal exchange with the Seattle Seahawks safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs during Dallas’ Week 13 win and got handed a $5,812 check.

Not just this, in 2022, Ferguson found himself in a sticky spot for jumping into the Salvation Army bucket and playing Whack-A-Mole as a touchdown celebration during the Cowboys’ 28-20 win over the New York Giants. Back then, he had to pay a $4,895 fine. 

Years later, Ferguson is now part of the NFL’s recent wave of player fines.

Jake Ferguson Joins Growing List of Players Fined for Celebrations

The NFL saw a quiet start to the season in Week 1, with no fines for offensive celebrations. Week 2 brought a string of controversial moments, and just one game into Week 3, the league has already begun issuing fines to players. Much like Ferguson, the NFL fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 on Thursday for “engaging in offensive demonstrations.”

“Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the league wrote in the fine letter to Juszczyk, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Juszczyk, who goes by “Juice,” has used variations of the celebration throughout his career in San Francisco when 49ers fans break into chants of his nickname after a catch or big play. Just like Ferguson claimed that he imitated opening a Gatorade,  Juszczyk, too, stood up to defend himself.

“I don’t even drink beer,” Juszczyk said. “I maybe drink like five times a year in the offseason.”

The same has been the case for Indianapolis Colts right guard Matt Goncalves. The incident occurred after Tyler Warren capped Indianapolis’ opening drive with a first-quarter touchdown at Arrowhead. Warren handed the ball to Goncalves, who mimicked cracking open a can before pretending to chug from it and spiking the ball. The officials let the celebration go without a flag.

It was days later that the league notified Goncalves that the “imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration…in poor taste.” The celebration ultimately earned him an $8,847 fine.

With these back-to-back cases, the NFL yet again proved why they are known as the “No Fun League.”