‘No One Paid Attention in the League Office?’ ‘A Victory for Common Sense’ — NFL World Reacts As Kyle Juszczyk Has Controversial $14,926 Fine Rescinded
· Yahoo Sports
On Wednesday, the NFL rescinded the $14,926 fine it gave San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a celebration it had initially viewed as pretending to chug a beer.
Juszczyk appealed and argued that he was miming a juice box since his nickname is Juice, and an appeals officer ruled in his favor. The 35-year-old made the gesture after two catches in the third quarter of a 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 20.
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Critics Argue NFL Never Should Have Fined 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk Over Celebration
“The NFL has rescinded the $14,926 fine it imposed on 49ers FB Kyle ‘Juice’ Juszczyk for what it thought was a distasteful celebration of chugging a beer,” Schefter wrote in a post on X.
“The league said it was withdrawing the fine ‘because his celebration was simulating drinking a juice box, not a beer…. Mr. Juszczyk finally stated that the fine is hypocritical with the amount of Bud Light sponsorships surrounding the NFL.’ Fine rescinded.”
Juszczyk has used the gesture for years, answering 49ers fans who chant his nickname after his catches. He insisted that it had nothing to do with beer, adding in a text to Schefter, “I don’t even drink beer!”
While the NFL world seemed happy that the fine was rescinded, many wondered how it was handed out in the first place.
“Nearly $15k fine because no one paid attention in the league office?” Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer Rick Stroud wrote.
The Associated Press reported that Juszczyk was initially fined $29,852 for two infractions of the league’s sportsmanship rules, since he did the celebration twice. Juszczyk said his appeal hearing went well, which helped lead to this reversal.
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“Juszczyk said last week he felt like the league would recognize it ‘made a mistake’ and that ‘things are going to work out OK.’ He was correct,” wrote ESPN reporter Nick Wagoner, who covers the 49ers. “An early morning victory for common sense.”
Juszczyk has been the 49ers’ nominee for the Art Rooney Award for sportsmanship for the past six seasons.
“No Fun League, confirmed,” one fan wrote. “Should not have been a fine in the first place.”
Juszczyk’s appeal also called out the league’s hypocrisy given its beer sponsorships. “Even if it was beer, I don’t think that should be a problem with all the beer endorsements that we have in the NFL,” Juszczyk said before the ruling, according to ESPN.
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“If the NFL thinks it’s distasteful to mimic drinking a beer, maybe they should turn down all alcohol based advertising…” Riverfront Radio sports director Jeff Duffy wrote.
Juszczyk said the celebration and fine led multiple brands to reach out about endorsements. One of them signed him to a partnership that is giving away 14,926 bottles of juice.
“Rightfully so,” former ESPN anchor Sage Steele wrote in reaction to the news.
Expecting the fines to be rescinded, Juszczyk did the juice gesture again in Sunday’s 24-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
He hyperextended his knee in that game and is expected to miss a couple of weeks, as the 4-0 49ers prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.