Jason Kelce isn’t letting the NFL’s latest fine go quietly.
The league announced Thursday that San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk was fined nearly $15,000 for what it called an “offensive” celebration in the team’s blowout win over the Miami Dolphins. The move in question looked like a beer-chugging gesture during the Week 2 victory, and the NFL said in its letter to the player nicknamed “Juice,” “Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,”
Juszczyk has used the celebration repeatedly over the course of his career, and he has already appealed the punishment. He also reacted directly to the situation by texting Schefter, “And I don’t even drink beer!”
Kelce, now an ESPN broadcaster after starring for the Philadelphia Eagles, quickly backed him up. His company, Garage Beer, offered to cover the cost, and Kelce posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “We will absolutely not stand for this injustice, we’d be happy to make this Beer is on us,” Garage Beer followed with, “Can someone put us in touch we have $15K.”
J.J. Watt joined the backlash as well. The former NFL star, who is now CBS’s top announcer, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I’m just going to go out on a limb here… For a guy whose nickname is Juice, could it not be ‘reasonably construed’ that he is drinking… stay with me here… Juice?”
Juszczyk has formally appealed the fine, and the wave of support around him makes it easy to see why the issue could get reversed. The 49ers are 2-0 after their win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
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For the Eagles, the bigger issue is not simply who lines up under center, but how much the uncertainty changes the shape of the game. The betting line has already moved as Bagents status has swung back and forth, and Philadelphias defense now has to prepare for a matchup that could still tilt depending on whether the Bears are dealing with one backup quarterback, another, or more late-week confusion. [Read more 🡒]