The Cincinnati Bengals are sitting pretty at a red-hot 2-0 start, eyeing a dominant 3-0 record against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, but their star wideouts Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase just got hit with a combined nearly $90,000 in fines from the NFL for their first down and touchdown celebration. Talk about the fun police showing up in full force!
The League’s Heavy Hand Comes Down on Celebrations
These guys were doing what they always do, electrifying the field and getting Bengals fans fired up, but their new celebration apparently caught the wrong kind of attention. The league came down hard, fining Higgins a whopping $59,704 and Chase $29,852. Each individual fine was $14,926, meaning Higgins got hit four times and Chase twice. The Bengals’ defense has been “lights out” through these first two wins, holding strong, but the offense has been a bit “slow to get fully going,” even if they’ve still put up enough points to get the job done. Now, the league’s got their attention in a whole new way.
Players Demand Action After Eye-Popping Fines
Higgins, who’s a huge WWE fan, appeared on the Kay Adams Show and laid out his side of the story. “I’m a fan of WWE, the people’s elbow, and we just threw in a first down celebration with it,” he explained. He’s totally baffled by the reaction, adding, “Everybody on the internet is making it seem like something that it isn’t.” Ja’Marr Chase didn’t hold back at his weekly press conference either, firing a shot directly at the NFLPA. “I think this is where the superstars have to get in with the NFLPA and fight for our money,” he stated. He’s clearly frustrated, knowing they “can’t really do much about it” and even tweeting about it gets them another fine! Chase believes players are being told to “keep their mouths shut and deal with it,” and he’s calling for a “superstar in the NFLPA to do something about it” to “help us along the way.”
This celebration was “fun for a few weeks,” but Tee confirmed they’ll have a brand new one ready for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. You gotta wonder if the league’s heavy hand will light a fire under these guys or just make them more careful. We’ll find out what they cook up next to celebrate those crucial first downs!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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