As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for their Super Bowl clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, it appears that star tight end Travis Kelce has been hit with a fine for breaking an NFL rule.
During this week’s AFC Championship showdown against the Buffalo Bills, Kelce got right in the face of Bills safety Damar Hamlin—and now, it seems he’s facing consequences for it.
Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket and bolted toward the goal line, eventually scoring a touchdown. As Mahomes crossed into the end zone, he was met with a hit from Hamlin, sparking an immediate reaction from Kelce.
Kelce wasted no time running up to Hamlin, getting in his face while shaking his head and flashing a grin at the Bills defender. Although he wasn’t penalized for taunting in the moment, the NFL has since reviewed the footage and decided to fine him for his actions.
According to a report from Pro Football Talk, Kelce has been fined $11,255 for taunting as a result of the incident.
The NFL rulebook explicitly bans “abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents” along with “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
Clearly, the league deemed that Kelce violated this rule.
Needless to say, this decision from the NFL led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“Too little, too late,” one fan wrote in the comments on NewsBreak.
“After the fact ,it should have been a penalty,” someone else commented.
“He needs to put his ego in check,” another person wrote.
“Serve him right,” someone else added.
“So he got a fine but no flag?” another person wrote.
“I saw that when it happened and screamed unsportsmanlike conduct. Nothing. And now he gets fined? Kinda late NFL. I’m sure he’d rather get fined for what he spends on a night out than get flagged to give the Bills some advantage,” someone else said.
While it’s unclear why the referees didn’t throw a flag at the time, the league has now made sure Kelce faces consequences for the incident.
