Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce gave his opinion on the strict rules by NFL referees starting this 2024 season.
The NFL is cracking down on gun-related celebrations this season and is also handing out huge fines, according to The U.S. Sun.
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Last week, the league fined Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malcolm Roach$14,069 for making a “violent gesture”.
The league thought he was making the gesture of showing a weapon when he lifted his shirt while celebrating.
Roach denied celebrating in that way and is appealing the fine.
“I was a little worried about what people thought,” Roach told The Denver Gazette. “People who don’t know me might think I have a bad temper or things like that.”
“They thought I was shooting a gun and stuff like that, but I was finishing a celebration, showing that the seat belt was fastened.”
Whether Roach was celebrating in a way that mimicked a weapon or not, Kelce is not a fan of the NFL penalizing players for their celebrations.
The Kelce brothers’ reaction
In an episode of the New Heights podcast earlier this month, the Kelce brothers talked about the New York Jets wide receiver who received a penalty for a similar type of celebration.
Jason Kelce pointed out the flag first while calling the NFL the “No Fun League”.
His brother Travis had a much more emphatic reaction to the punishment.
“I know we don’t want this to be like, ‘Oh, NFL players shooting guns,'” Travis said. “I get that. But this is very subtle. Unless you do it against a defensive player, it shouldn’t be a penalty.”
“If you want to fine the guy after the game for doing it, whatever, that’s up to the NFL for wanting to protect their league,” Kelce added. “I just think it’s too much. It’s too much and it’s affecting the game in the wrong way.”
I understand that the guy has to play by the rules and stuff. I don’t want the NFL to punish me for saying something, but I think this is going too far.
Travis went a step further and jokingly said that the fact that the NFL does not allow celebrations with weapons goes against their rights.
“It’s my Second Amendment,” he joked. “I have the right to bear arms.”
