On Sept. 24, the NFL fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for “engaging in offensive demonstrations.”
The league said Juszczyk broke Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 after appearing to mimic chugging a beer with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter of the 49ers’ victory over the Miami Dolphins, per ESPN.
Nonetheless, 49ers tight end George Kittle decided to make light of the NFL’s decision to fine Juszczyk over the gesture.
“[Juszczyk’s] new nickname is Beer now, so that’s his new thing,” Kittle joked while talking to reporters on Sept. 24. “Just letting you guys know, as a team, we voted on that.”
Kittle also noted that he did the celebration the NFL fined Juszczyk for and added another joke.
“I don’t want to find out [after doing the celebration in practice], honestly,” Kittle added jokingly. “No, I would assume not unless you [reporters] throw me under the bus for something.”
Kyle Juszczyk Gets Blunt on NFL Fine
Juszczyk spoke to the media on Sept. 24 and said he was surprised by the fine, given that it’s been made clear he has the nickname Juice and that it’s not associated with anything other than that.
“I feel like there’s already been so much put out there,” Juszczyk said. “I don’t know how else to say it. I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration. I think you guys all know my nickname is Juice. I have ‘Juice’ on my pads.
“The stadium yells ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball. When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been that way for years. So I was surprised as anybody when I got a fine this week.”
Moreover, Juszczyk noted that he doesn’t even drink beer, which makes the fine even more ridiculous in his eyes, aside from the fact that his gesture is clearly because of the nickname Juice.
“That’s the other side of it, is I don’t even drink beer,” Juszczyk added. “I maybe drink like five times a year in the offseason, and it’s usually with George because he peer pressures me. So that’s a whole other side to it.”
49ers Given Mac Jones Message Amid Trade Speculation
Along with the news of Juszczyk’s fine, the other story dominating headlines this week is the trade speculation around Mac Jones. While the 49ers could listen to offers, Niners reporter Grant Cohn says the team shouldn’t entertain trading Jones.
The backup is major insurance if Brock Purdy gets injured. Jones proved last season that he can steady the ship if Purdy misses any time.
“What my thought is, if you trade for a player, that’s fine, but you don’t trade a player for a player,” Cohn said in a Sept. 23 livestream on his X account. “You don’t trade Mac Jones because this season is what matters… Don’t trade Mac Jones because now you’ve just created an issue in one place to fix an issue somewhere else. You’re gonna need that backup quarterback.
“You’re gonna need him most likely, and if you don’t, great. But, like, Kurtis Rourke, because he played one good half of a preseason game one time, now you’re gonna trust him for four to six weeks if Brock Purdy gets a high ankle sprain? F— that. Maybe next year, not this year.”
49ers’ George Kittle Has Blunt Reaction to Kyle Juszczyk Fine From NFL