Getty Tyreek Hill celebrates before scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.
He didn’t draw a flag for a mid-touchdown-run celebration against the Buffalo Bills, but Tyreek Hill will now be taking a hit to his wallet for it.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver flashed his trademark peace sign toward Bills defenders as he was racing to a 64-yard touchdown that gave his team a lead with just over a minute remaining in the January 23 divisional round playoff game. The play drew some pushback but no flag for taunting, though the league is now handing down a different punishment to Hill.
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League Fines Hill for Celebration
As the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, the league on Saturday handed down a $10,300 fine to Hill for the taunt. It was the second straight weekend that Hill drew a fine for a touchdown celebration, as the league also hit him with a $12,875 fine the previous week for using pom-poms to celebrate a 31-yard touchdown catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pelissero reported at the time.
There had already been some pushback during the week after officials failed to flag the play. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out that he disagrees with this season’s crackdown on taunting penalties, but recognized that Hill’s “blatant” infraction still should have been called.
“No flag was thrown for the obvious taunt. It should have been. The gesture is textbook taunting,” he wrote.
“It’s a simple concept. Enforce the rule consistently, or get rid of it.”
As others pointed out, the league appeared to have an inconsistent approach to Hill’s touchdown and taunt. Not only was it unflagged during the game, but the NFL also celebrated the play as one of the fastest runs of the week.
Ending Still Stings for Bills
It may not have made much of a difference if officials flagged Hill for the celebration. The Bills were still able to score again on the next possession, with quarterback Josh Allen leading the team down the field for a go-ahead touchdown with 13 seconds remaining. But Hill and the Chiefs answered back, racing down the field in two plays to get into field goal range for a game-tying kick. The Chiefs won the coin toss to start overtime and never looked back, driving 75 yards for the winning touchdown.
this angle of @cheetah ✌️🎥 my best shot of the night
After the loss, Bills head coach Sean McDermott admitted that it was painful for all the players and coaches.
“If you saw that plane ride on the way home, you would not come away with the impression that we’re fine,” he said, via Yahoo Sports. “Everyone has single-minded focus to improve and committed to accomplishing one goal. We’re going to be human here and try to get a little bit of rest and get back on it. … We will work tirelessly to do that and go about it the right way.”
The Bills will get a chance to get some measure of revenge against Hill and the Chiefs next season. The teams are slated to meet again in the 2022 regular season, with the Bills returning to Arrowhead Stadium.
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NFL Hands Down Punishment to Tyreek Hill for His Actions Against Bills