Ja'Marr Chase caught a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow during the Bengals' win over the Texans in Houston, and the celebration that followed cost him. The Bengals wide receiver was fined for imitating the Rock's People's Elbow after the score, and he made clear afterward that he was not happy about it.
“They just stopping the fun,” Chase said, according to Cleveland.com. Chase said the celebration was meant to be something new and unique, and he hasn't ruled out bringing it back with some adjustments. He also said he hopes to appeal the fine, though the outlet's report does not indicate whether that appeal has actually been filed.
Chase's frustration extended beyond his own wallet. He said he has little ability to challenge fines individually because players can be fined for tweeting about them, and argued that players need organized power through the NFL Players Association to fight back. He went further, saying superstars have to join the NFLPA and fight for players' money, and that the union needs a superstar to help lead that charge. Chase said he may consider taking a larger role in the NFLPA himself.
How the Fines and Appeals Process Actually Works
Whatever path Chase's appeal takes, it will run through a system built into the league's labor agreement. The NFL and NFL Players Association collectively bargain the on-field code of conduct for all players, according to the NFL's own operations office. Fined players receive information on how to appeal, and their case is assigned randomly to an appeals officer jointly appointed by the league and the union. That officer's decision is final, and the ruling is binding — there's no further recourse once it's handed down.
The money itself doesn't just disappear into league coffers. Fines collected by the NFL are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation, and since 2011, about $4 million a year has gone toward supporting those foundations' causes, per the league's operations office.
Chase Is Far From the Only Player Getting Fined This Season
The Bengals star's frustration echoes a broader grumbling season around the NFL. San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk was fined $14,926 for imitating a beer-chugging gesture after a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, a game the 49ers won 35-13 in Week 2, according to Central Oregon Daily. The league told Juszczyk that his imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration that could reasonably be viewed as being in poor taste, as reported by The Athletic. Colts right guard Matt Goncalves was fined $8,847 for making the identical gesture during his own touchdown celebration, the same report noted.
Juszczyk, for his part, has already appealed his fine and pushed back on the league's characterization, texting ESPN's Adam Schefter that he doesn't even drink beer, according to Niners Wire. The league described the imitation as potentially being in poor taste.
The NFL has fined 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for his imitation of chugging a beer. The league said the action could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.
A Season of Inconsistent Celebration Calls
The celebration crackdown isn't limited to fines after the fact — it's also shown up as live penalties. Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams was hit with a 15-yard celebration penalty after hugging a goalpost following a touchdown in the Lions' November 2025 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, while Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride drew a flag for performing the league-targeted “nose wipe” gesture after a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2025 NFL season, according to Defector. The outlet described the overall enforcement as an inconsistent, arbitrary mess capable of moving extra-point attempts and shifting outcomes.
During the 2025 NFL season, the league said it was emphasizing sportsmanship and cracking down specifically on violent and sexually suggestive gestures, and NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson noted that unsportsmanlike and inappropriate gestures had increased 133 percent, calling it a point of emphasis. The celebration rules remain a point of debate, including over gestures such as throat slashes and simulated gun gestures.
Chase's Own History With NFL Fines
This isn't Chase's first run-in with league discipline. He was previously fined $19,697 for unsportsmanlike conduct tied to a violent gesture during a touchdown celebration in a Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a penalty that outpaced other violent-gesture fines around the league that season, which had not exceeded $14,609, according to Yahoo Sports. He was also fined $31,599 after a Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs for an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty stemming from an argument with official Alex Kemp, the same report noted.
For now, Chase's latest fine adds another chapter to a running tension between the league's celebration rules and the players who keep testing them. Whether his talk of a bigger NFLPA role turns into anything concrete remains to be seen, but his message to fellow stars was direct: organized pushback, not individual complaints, is what he thinks it will take to change how the league polices fun on the field.
