NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the ‘people’s elbow’ celebration
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confirmed Thursday that the league has fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration. The gesture involves Chase grabbing his right elbow with his left hand and flopping the right arm forward, a move he says is meant to signal a first down. The NFL disagreed, and it hit both receivers with unsportsmanlike conduct fines.
Chase said he hopes the latest punishments from the league will spur action within the NFLPA, the players’ union. “We got fined for the people’s elbow stuff,” Chase said. “I would love to appeal it. It’s something we made up, and then everybody else saying what it is. Everybody gonna have their own opinion of what it looked like.”
The people’s elbow and the fine
Chase’s gesture is easy enough to perform: he grasps his right elbow with his left hand and lets the right arm fall forward. He says the move is meant as a fresh way to mark a first down, not the crude joke that many on social media have claimed it to be. The NFL took a different view, and both receivers now carry the same unsportsmanlike conduct fine.
A first-time penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct costs $14,926, while taunting offenses come with a fine of $11,941.
During his news conference, Chase showed a possible adjustment to the celebration, revealing what a modified version would look like. He referred to the motion as “literally like a wrestling move”, saying it was something new and unique they were trying, adding, “They’re just stopping the fun.”
Chase’s record of fines
The league has handed Chase six fines for assorted violations, with the combined total amounting to $613,162. Among his record, he was previously flagged for an obscene gesture during the 2022 season opener, when he directed two middle fingers at Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Chase sat out a game last year after being caught on camera spitting at Pittsburgh cornerback Jalen Ramsey, a penalty that came with a price tag of $507,156. Now the Bengals will meet the Steelers on Sunday, with the Steelers holding a record of 1-1 so far this season.
He has also been fined for verbally abusing an official at Kansas City in 2024 ($31,599), an obscene gesture in a 2024 game against Baltimore ($19,697) and taunting against the Chiefs in 2022 ($15,914).
Kyle Juszczyk’s parallel fine
The league also fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for what he claimed was a misinterpreted celebration. The league said the fine was for imitating chugging a beer, but Juszczyk, whose nickname is “Juice,” said he has been doing the gesture for years and he is just drinking his juice.
“I think this is where the superstars have to get in with the NFLPA and fight for our money because if he’s getting fined for doing a drinking gesture, a juice gesture and I’m getting fined for an elbow and doing the first down thing, I don’t know,” Chase said.
“I don’t even think we can tweet about it because we get fined for tweeting about it,” Chase added. “So like it’s really like players gotta keep their mouth shut and deal with it. We gotta have a superstar in the NFLPA to do something about it, help us along the way.”
Andrei Iosivas’s appeal win
After Andrei Iosivas won his appeal of a fine for a “violent gesture”, he has not repeated the bow-and-arrow touchdown celebration in any games since then. The incident took place in Kansas City in 2024, where Iosivas was flagged for the gesture following a touchdown.
He’s hoping a vague gesture, which he thinks counts as a token effort, will result in him and Higgins winning their appeal, though he refused to promise he won’t use the celebration in the feature.
The money question
Six fines have been handed down to Chase during his career, adding up to $613,162, with the $507,156 stemming from the one-game suspension he received after spitting on Ramsey last season.
The whole story hinges on the conflict between Chase and the league. Chase makes a valid case about the NFLPA. He has been punished by the league for spitting, for taunting, for obscene gestures, for abuse of officials, and most recently for a celebration that he says signals a first down. Those penalties add up to $613,162, and Chase is correct that players require a superstar to advocate for their earnings.
“We gotta have a superstar in the NFLPA to do something about it, help us along the way.”
How the fines compare
| Fine | Amount | Chase’s record |
|---|---|---|
| Unsportsmanlike conduct (first offense) | $14,926 | New “people’s elbow” fine |
| Taunting | $11,941 | Previous fines for taunting |
| Verbal abuse of official | $31,599 | Kansas City, 2024 |
| Obscene gesture vs. Baltimore | $19,697 | 2024 game |
| Taunting vs. Chiefs | $15,914 | 2022 |
| Total across six fines | $613,162 | Career total |
The appeal path
Chase expressed his desire to appeal the fine, though it is unknown whether he and Higgins will prevail.
The league’s reasoning for the fine has not been publicly explained. Chase’s appeal hopes rest on his belief that the gesture is vague, but he did not commit to stopping the celebration even when asked.
What we make of it
A spectacle has emerged around the “people’s elbow”, one that has brought fines upon Chase and Higgins, another upon Juszczyk, and still more confusion from Chase himself over how the league reads his conduct on the field.
The NFL has fined Chase repeatedly over the years: for spitting, for taunting, for obscene gestures, for abuse of officials, and most recently for a celebration he says signals a first down. Those penalties have added up to $613,162. He is correct that players need a superstar to fight for their money.
Both Chase and Higgins remain eligible to appeal. What follows is a determination of whether the league’s reading of the rules will be upheld, or if the players can succeed in convincing the NFLPA to champion their cause instead.
The whole story is about the disagreement between Chase and the league. In the meantime, Chase has already shown a possible way to change the celebration.
The league’s policing of what players do on the field has turned a celebration into a story about its own scrutiny. Chase’s reaction is a baffled one. He wants to appeal the fine, he wants the NFLPA to fight for players’ is upset that the league has turned his elbow into a spectacle for all to see.
The fines are a reminder that the NFL has a long list of things it considers unsportsmanlike or taunting. Chase has added the “people’s elbow” to that list. The appeal process will tell us whether he and Higgins can remove it again.
For now, the “people’s elbow” is a celebration that has drawn two fines for Chase and Higgins and a separate fine for Juszczyk. Chase’s reaction is a frustrated one. He wants to appeal the fine, he wants the NFLPA to fight for players’ money, and he is frustrated that the league has made a spectacle of his elbow.
Source material: “NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the 'people’s elbow' celebration,” Yahoo Sports.
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