After suffering his first loss of the season against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is now experiencing financial difficulties.
On Nov. 23, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that the league fined Mahomes for a gesture in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“The NFL fined #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (violent gesture) as he celebrated a touchdown pass last week in Buffalo,” Pelissero said in a message to X.
Mahomes was not the only player punished during last week’s game; the NFL also fined two other players.
League Cracking Down on ‘Violent Gesture’ Actions
Mahomes looked to make a gun-shooting gesture after throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to trim Buffalo’s lead to 23-21. According to The Athletic’s Mike Jones, the league is stricter on gun and other violent gestures this season – and has told players that a crackdown is on the way.
“One high-ranking league employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t want to comment on any specific incident, said players are warned every year that such gestures will result in penalties and fines,” according to Jones. “Each year, the league offers players a film that instructs them on acceptable and improper types of celebration. The NFL rulebook, which is distributed to all players each year, also outlaws any gun-related salutes.”
Several other players have been punished for making gun motions, and Jones reports that the NCAA is following the NFL’s lead and punishing players who celebrate with gun gestures.
This wasn’t the first time Mahomes received a fine after losing to the Bills. Following last December’s loss, the Chiefs quarterback received a $50,000 punishment for insulting officials. Mahomes was unhappy that the Chiefs were called for lining up offsides on what would have been a game-winning touchdown, shouting at officials after the play and voicing additional displeasure after the game.
Mahomes accepted responsibility, saying later in the season that he needed to take the league’s fine.
“I had outbursts on the sideline and everybody saw it on a big game, and so there’s going to be consequences to that,” Mahomes stated, according to ESPN. “Now all you have to do is live with the consequences, learn from them, and strive not to let it happen again. But we basically kept things rolling.”
Two Other Players Face Fines
According to Buffalo’s WGRZ, Mahomes was not the only player facing penalty following Sunday’s game. A.J. Epenesa, a Bills defensive end, was fined $15,400 for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter after making a hip-drop tackle on running back Carson Steele.
Epenesa was not penalized for the tackle. The Chiefs went on to score a touchdown on the drive, which resulted in the costly celebration for Mahomes.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was also fined $11,255 for snatching a facemask.
The Bills improved to 9-2 with the win over the Chiefs, entering the bye week with the team’s best 10-game record in more than 30 years.
