Travis Kelce hit with $14,491 fine after making ‘obscene gesture’ during game
Topics: Travis Kelce, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Football, Sport, News
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Elsa/Getty Images
Topics: Travis Kelce, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Football, Sport, News
Travis Kelce has landed a hefty fine for making an 'obscene gesture' during a football game.
As any sports fan will know, football players are supposed to keep things PG-13 when they're on the field but sometimes their emotions get the better of them.
For example, New York Jets receiver Allen Lazard was slapped with a $14,069 fine for making a gun finger as part of a celebration.
This falls under the 'violent gestures' bracket of the NFL's manual on unsportsmanlike behavior.
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In 2024, there were a reported nine fines handed out to players for making supposedly violent gestures.
But it's not just violent gestures that land players in trouble, rude ones can too.
On September 14, during the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce celebrated a 23-yard gain by making some kind of unusual gesture towards his crotch.
And what he did didn't go unnoticed and Kelce has been hit with a $14,491 fine as a result, NBC Sports reports.
His actions, branded as an 'obscene gesture', may have fallen under the 'taunting' bracket of the NFL's unsportsmanlike behavior rules, as well it being 'sexually suggestive or offensive'.
The manual reads, as per the New York Times: "There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.
"Such acts specifically include, among others: (a) Throwing a punch, or a forearm, or kicking at an opponent, even though no contact is made. (b) Using abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League. (c) Using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams. (d) Any violent gesture, or an act that is sexually suggestive or offensive."
UNILAD has approached the Chiefs for comment.
During the same game Kelce was spotted slamming his helmet down in a rage followed with an expletive comment to his teammates.
Cameras caught the 35-year-old say 'I'm sick of this sh*t!' and Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid later defended the tight end's actions.
"Listen, he was trying to get guys fired up and going," he told reporters, adding: "That’s him. He’s that way every week if you keep an eye on him so he’s all-in all the time. That’s the way he was today."
Football fans were left very confused at the time as Kelce's tantrum came shortly after his teammate Patrick Mahomes' touchdown.
"Wtf is he sick of," someone asked on Reddit, as a second wrote: "I think he means he's sick of Mahomes having to do everything."
Another confused viewer said: "I don't get it why is he disappointed with a TD?"