The NFL has a duty to its audience to keep things on the field about football. As such, the league has been known to crack down on excessive celebrating.
It was a shock when the league decided to relieve some of its strictness on celebrations a few years ago, but it was a beloved decision across the league. Still, the league has a duty to make sure that nothing that happens in celebrations crosses any lines.
As a result, there has been a crackdown this season on what the NFL deems to be “violent gestures.”
Most of these gestures revolve around players pantomiming guns in some fashion. The league has made a deal of throwing flags and fining players when a celebration along these lines transpires on the field.
It seems not even the face of today’s NFL, Patrick Mahomes, can survive the crackdown, according to one prominent league insider.
“The NFL fined (Chiefs) QB Patrick Mahomes $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gesture) as he celebrated a touchdown pass last week in Buffalo,” reported NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero over the weekend while posting a video of the alleged offense.
The NFL fined #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gesture) as he celebrated a touchdown pass last week in Buffalo … pic.twitter.com/dXgnmYJSYp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 23, 2024
It’s shocking that even a player of Mahomes’ stature could be so heavily punished by what seemed to be a mostly innocuous celebration.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the players’ union decided to address the flags and fins levied by the league for these celebrations in the coming offseason.
