Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The NFL had the nerve to fine two of its best players for virtually nothing
Sure, professional football players make boatloads of money, but that doesn’t mean they should be unfairly punished for what amounts to incidental contact and, as Travis Kelce found out, celebrating a touchdown.
Matthew Judon was ejected from the Baltimore Ravens eventual loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers for making incidental contact with an official. In no way was that Judon’s end goal, but as per the rules, he was thrown out. Fair is fair. However, the NFL has gone beyond the rulebook to fine Judon a ridiculous amount for his unintentional swipe on an official’s clothing.
Next, we have Kelce. The Chiefs tight end celebrating a touchdown in Kansas City’s eventual win over the New York Jets last Sunday by dunking the football over the goalposts. The NFL has made an effort to allow players to show more personality in in-game celebrations, so it’s rather odd that they’d target Kelce for what looked to be a pretty basic celly in the moment.
Yet, Kelce is forced to reach into his checkbook prior to the Chiefs‘ Week 9 game against the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL is hypocritical in this sense. They market players for their flare and eccentric personalities, only to fine Kelce when he merely goes slightly beyond their expectations.
Judon, on the other hand, did not deserve the extra slap on the wrist he received from the league office. As if being thrown out of a game against the Ravens biggest rival in what amounted to a losing effort wasn’t enough of a message. The NFLPA should be furious, and appeal to boot.