The San Francisco 49ers routed the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, winning 35-13, and a major reason behind the one-sided victory was fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Juszczyk caught one of quarterback Brock Purdy's two touchdown passes on the afternoon, and at some point amid one of the many celebrations the Niners had throughout the contest, the perennial Pro Bowl fullback celebrated by acting as if he was drinking a beverage.
Nothing too controversial there. His nickname is "Juice," after all.
Apparently, the NFL felt differently.
NFL fines Kyle Juszczyk for 'beer-chugging' celebration
As shared by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the league fined Juszczyk $14,926 for his on-field celebration that appeared to demonstrate consumption of an alcoholic beverage—beer, to be more precise:
NFL fined 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for engaging in an offensive demonstration Sunday vs. Miami. “Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the NFL wrote in its fine letter.… pic.twitter.com/0ERUN30MN8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2026
"Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste," the NFL's memo declared to Juszczyk, per Schefter.
The ESPN insider added the fullback is already appealing the fine.
Additionally, Schefter shared that Juszczyk has been celebrating this way over his entire career, adding how the fullback texted him back and said, "I don't even drink beer!"
Wow, NFL. Just, wow.
NFL clearly has consistency issues (and Kyle Juszczyk fine proves it)
The league's personal conduct policy is understandable, and the variety of celebrations, gestures and even off-field actions make it tough to impose consistent discipline. That's understandable.
Yet the NFL is no stranger to major inconsistencies that rarely seem to add up, as this 2018 Bleacher Report analysis on the issue pointed out:
Despite a clear fine schedule, the NFL still fines players different amounts for the same infraction. In fact, over 30 percent of the fines levied in 2012 were significantly outside the allotted schedule.
In other cases, the fine amounts on the schedule do not appear to coincide with the NFL's blossoming player safety concerns. In fact, most of the major fines have significantly decreased since the start of the fine schedule.
The fines also seem to have an apparent bias towards defensive players, both in rule and implementation.
These inconsistencies hurt the NFL's fine system. Until there is a more consistent, streamlined system that is easily understood, the NFL will continue to hear the criticism that goes along with its current fining process.
It'll be interesting to see how the appeals process goes for Juszczyk, and perhaps the NFL recognizes other celebrations from the fullback that simply align with his name.
Chugging juice, not beer. It might be that simple.
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