The National Football League (NFL) has imposed a fine of $14,069 on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This penalty was given because the league deemed he made a “violent gesture” during the fourth quarter of last week’s Sunday night game against the Buffalo Bills, which the Chiefs ultimately lost.
After Mahomes threw a touchdown pass to tight end Noah Gray, he made a gesture where he pointed with both hands. The NFL saw this gesture as resembling the action of using a firearm.
The league has been vocal about its goal to put an end to gun-related celebrations during games. In fact, one league executive mentioned to CBS Sports that while this policy has been in place for years, it hasn’t really received much attention until now, and it’s become almost overwhelming this season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has supported this stricter stance, stating, “We don’t think it’s appropriate…. It sends the wrong message.”
The crackdown is evident in the numbers: according to Spotrac, the NFL has issued 17 fines for “obscene gestures” this season, compared to none in 2023. The league’s official position, as stated on their website, emphasizes that,
“To protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity, the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.”
The Bills-Chiefs game resulted in additional fines beyond Mahomes’ gesture. According to Baller Alert, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones received an $11,255 fine for unnecessary roughness, while Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa faced a larger fine of $15,400 earlier on in the game for the same type of violation.
This isn’t Mahomes’ first encounter with league discipline. In December of the previous year, he faced a more substantial $50,000 fine for “verbally abusing” officials during another game against the Buffalo Bills. Reports indicate that Mahomes accepted the consequences of that earlier incident and committed to learning from it.