Patrick Mahomes is fined $14K by NFL for his touchdown celebration gesture he made during last week’s game
Patrick Mahomes has been slapped with a hefty fine from the NFL over a touchdown celebration he made during last week’s game.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback found tight end Noah Gray with a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills.
After connecting with the tight end, the three-time Super Bowl winner made a gesture that caught the attention of the powers-that-be.
Mahomes pointed with two fingers on both hands, which the league has ruled as a mimic of using guns.
The NFL has cracked down on gun-related gestures this season and Mahomes has become the latest to fall victim to the league’s stricter measures.
The 29-year-old was issued a $14,069 fine by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct – ruled ‘a violent gesture – according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
Mahomes’s Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce hit out at the league’s crackdown on gun gestures earlier this season.
New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard celebrated a first down with finger guns against the Denver Broncos at the end of September. While the gesture was not targeted at anybody, Lazard was flagged for the celebration.
During an episode of New Heights, Travis slammed the league, while brother Jason referred to the NFL as the ‘no-fun league.’
‘I know we don’t want this to be like, ‘Oh, NFL players shooting guns,’ Travis said. ‘I get that. But this is so subtle. Unless you’re, like, doing it at a defender, it shouldn’t be a flag. If you want to fine the guy after the game for doing it, whatever, that’s up to the NFL for wanting to protect their league.’
The Chiefs tight end called it ‘absolutely ridiculous’ that a ‘guy is on the ground shooting pointing fingers for getting a first down saying, ‘We’re going that way or whatever he might be doing,’ and received a penalty.
‘I just think it’s too much, man. It’s too much and it’s affecting the game in the wrong way,’ Travis added. ‘I get the guy’s got to play by the rules and stuff like that. I don’t want to get the NFL on my ass for saying something. But I just think this is too far.’
‘It’s my second amendment,’ Travis jokingly exclaimed. ‘I have the right to bear arms.’
Travis reiterated how the fine could have occurred after if the NFL ‘doesn’t want it.’ He added: ‘Don’t make it a part of the game where it affects the team. I think it’s a little too much for that.’
However, despite both Mahomes’s latest punishment and Kelce’s criticism, others around the league believe the crackdown is inconsistent – especially where the Chiefs are concerned.
New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton appeared to hint at double standards in October after he was flagged for a similar gun motion.
During a win over the Seattle Seahawks, the wideout decided to celebrate a 41-yard reception by signaling for a first down. Only instead of going through the familiar arm motion like an NFL official, Slayton extended two fingers on his outstretched left hand while holding his right arm near his face, as if he were firing a rifle.
Slayton received a 15-yard penalty for the play.
In response to the flag, Slayton shared an X post showing Kansas City Chiefs teammates Mahomes and Juju Smith-Schuster as well as Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb performing similar celebrations. The difference, as Slayton pointed out on X, was that the Chiefs teammates and Lamb weren’t penalized.
‘It’s cool when they do it,’ Slayton wrote online.
Slayton’s complaint echoes similar concerns that the defending-champion Chiefs get the benefit of the doubt from league officials.
Conspiracy theories peaked last season as Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with pop star Taylor Swift helped attract scores of new fans to the league.
