It seems like it has been a weekly occurrence this NFL season where some guy gets fined for a “violent gesture” in which he pretends to shoot someone or something with a pretend gun, and now one of the league’s biggest names, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is that guy.
And this might be the most absurd one yet.
It happened this past weekend when the Chiefs went on the road and lost to the Buffalo Bills.
Mahomes had just thrown a touchdown pass that helped the team draw within two points of the Bills, and to celebrate, he did this.
The NFL fined #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gesture) as he celebrated a touchdown pass last week in Buffalo … pic.twitter.com/dXgnmYJSYp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 23, 2024
That was worth a fine of $14,000?!
I understand that the NFL has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to finger guns — because it always makes sure to handle the big issues first — but can we all agree that there are different kinds of finger guns?
Sure, there’s the kind of finger gun where a player celebrates by emptying a make-believe clip into the quarterback he just sacked or blindly fires imaginary ammo into the crowd, stops to reload, and then does it again.
I think policing finger guns is a little silly (I believe in the right to bear finger arms), but I get the fine for that.
Then there’s the cool guy/girl finger gun. Y’know, a he Fonzie-esque kind of thing.
I don’t get why guys get fined for this.
I’m not even sure that Mahomes’ finger guns fall into either of those camps. I think he was just pointing and then had his thumbs up. I don’t even know that I would classify them as finger guns.
But it doesn’t matter what a very handsome guy like me thinks because the NFL already made its decision and Mahomes is going to have to pony up some dough.
Although, considering he has a par 3 hole at his house, I think he can afford it.
