The NFL has fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for what the league called an “offensive demonstration” in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the punishment came after Juszczyk simulated chugging a beer following a play. In the fine letter, the NFL wrote, “Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,”
Schefter noted that Juszczyk has “celebrated touchdowns and first downs his entire NFL career in his own chugging way,” but had never been fined before. Juszczyk’s response to Schefter was blunt: “And I don’t even drink beer!”
The timing makes the whole thing feel even more absurd. Juszczyk’s nickname is “Juice,” and the NFL counts Bud Light among its major sponsors.
The league says all fines are “donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support Legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game,” and since 2011 it has collected around $4 million per year for those causes.
Juszczyk, a former fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, is in his 14th NFL season and has spent 10 of those years with San Francisco. He has long been one of the 49ers’ most popular players, and this latest penalty probably does nothing but add to that. At 35, he’s also one of the most decorated fullbacks the league has ever seen, with 10 Pro Bowls to his name.
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