Jason Kelce Slams NFL Over Kyle Juszczyk’s $14,926 Fine After Beer-Chugging Celebration

Jason Kelce is well-known for his fun-loving, cheerful personality, but this time the former centre couldn't hold back his frustration.  Kyle Juszczyk, the popular 49ers star, was charged nearly $15,000 by the NFL for pretending to chug a beer. Surprisingly, this is the same league that has beer ads running during every broadcast. This unfair decision doesn't sit well with Jason Kelce. On top of that, a famous beer brand has sponsored the league for years. Amid the controversy, Kelce questioned the league's judgment on his recent podcast, and his remarks are hard to ignore.

Jason Kelce Questions NFL's Decision to Fine Kyle Juszczyk

In the recent episode of the New Heights Podcast, Jason Kelce opened up about the league's hypocritical decision. The former centre noted that Bud Light has been the league's official beer sponsor since 2011 and that the league has a strong partnership with gambling sites. He found this decision “very weird.”

He said, “The NFL has beer labelled off of like every single thing in the stadiums. Like you just said, it's on every commercial break. They're an official sponsor of the NFL. It feels just very weird that all of a sudden they're cracking down on this one specific thing.”

Kelce's response doesn't come out of nowhere. During the Week 2 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, the star fullback Juszczyk registered a touchdown. He threw his head back and pretended to take a full swing, like he was chugging beer. 

To make matters worse, the league sent him a $14,926 fine for the moment. Sadly, it landed right after the $20,033 he'd already been fined in Week 1 for illegal helmet use.

In the fine letter, the league wrote that the move “constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.”

Apart from Juszczyk, Colts star Goncalves was also fined $8,847 for mimicking chugging a beer with a football during the touchdown celebration in a Week 2 game against the Chiefs. Hence,  the lineman became one of at least two NFL players fined for "chugging" the football this season. 

Kyle Juszczyk Explains Why His Celebration Was Never About Beer

After the showdown, Kyle Juszczyk revealed what actually happened during the matchup, and he was actually surprised by the league's decision. Kyle said, “I wasn't drinking beer in my celebration. 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.

He further added, “When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it's been that way for years. “So I was as surprised as anybody when I got a fine this past week for it.”

In Juszczyk's case, the immediate concern remains his appeal. And for Kelce, however, the fine raised a bigger question about where the NFL draws the line when a harmless-looking celebration runs into one of its biggest commercial categories.