Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has solidified his place as one of the most dominant and successful players in NFL history at his position. However, he’s no stranger to drawing the occasional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his antics on the field — just as he did last month.
In Kansas City’s Christmas Day matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce etched his name in the franchise’s record books by breaking the touchdown reception record previously held by Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez. But his celebration led to a bit of trouble.
After scoring the touchdown, Kelce dunked the ball over the crossbar, a move that earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And the consequences didn’t end there.
As reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Kelce was fined $14,069 for violating NFL rules by using a prop during his touchdown celebration.
“The NFL fined #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (use of prop) — dunking over the crossbar on Christmas in tribute to Tony Gonzalez after breaking his franchise TD record,” Pelissero shared in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Gonzalez posted he’ll help with the fine,” Pelissero added.
Needless to say, this steep punishment led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“League’s weekly wage theft is out of hand,” one fan wrote on X.
“The NFL used to be so much fun man. Now guys are getting fined for dunking after a touchdown,” another person added.
“The NFL is a joke,” someone else said.
“This is just ridiculous,” another commented.
“Reminiscent of the No Fun League Era,” another person said.
“Dumbest fine in the NFL,” someone wrote.
Clearly, fans were not all that pleased with the fine that Kelce received for his celebration.
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