It was a rough Saturday for Kyle Juszczyk, and not because of anything that happened on the field.
The San Francisco 49ers fullback was fined twice by the NFL for what the league classified as unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 2’s 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins. Each penalty came in at $14,926, leaving Juszczyk with a total hit of $29,852 from a game in which he caught two passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.
One of the fines stemmed from a celebration the NFL said violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, with the league determining he was imitating chugging a beer. Juszczyk pushed back hard on that idea.
"I don't know how else to say it - I wasn't drinking beer in my celebration,” Juszczyk told reporters. “I think you guys all know my nickname is Juice.
I have 'Juice' on my pads. The stadium yells 'Juice' when I catch the ball.
When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it's been that way for years. I was as surprised as anybody when I got a fine."
The other fine came after he made a bow and arrow gesture following a first-down catch. The NFL’s rules prohibit violent gestures during celebrations.
Juszczyk leaned into the whole thing during a recent media availability. With reporters gathered near his locker, he labeled a large jug beside his gear “Not Beer” in bold letters and placed a leg pad with a juice box on it behind him so it would be visible on camera.
He and his wife also joked about the situation on social media, posting a video of her slicing oranges and handing them to him while he used a hand juicer to make orange juice.
With Juszczyk insisting he wasn’t celebrating with beer, an appeal could be next.
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