2026 NFL Week Two Fine Blotter: The Saturday Announcement

As has been made apparent, the illegal celebration fouls are completely out of control, one way or the other.  After what I saw put over the broadcast airwaves through actions by players of the University of Texas this morning, I do not want to hear another fucking word about the taunting penalties or the celebration fines.

I am wondering if part of this is a disturbing trend I'm seeing on social media this season -- an increasing number of tauntings and fights and spearing and all that stuff at kid and high school levels.  This DOES come down from the NFL, and the fact is the kids are seeing these actions in the NFL and emulating them, up to and including intent to injure and starting brawls.

The start of the season has basically made celebration fouls, especially those depicting alcohol (which is fucking hilarious, but that's another thing), a Point of Emphasis.  And it's clear that, after this fine blotter, it needs to be strengthened.  As in New York has to get in and have these flagged as "non-football acts", including notifying the officials if flags aren't on the field.

I wish the NFL would come out with a directive on that and state it openly, but I do wonder if they're getting the message that the boys are NOT all right and that things are out of control.

How out of control?  Above and beyond what I've already blogged about today:  As of Friday, I counted no less than THIRTEEN incidents of illegal celebrations to be on today's Fine Blotter and Game Accountability situation.  

Just in Week Two.

And that's BEFORE we find out on Saturday how many more there might be...

Here's that list of just those thirteen (and one more from the same incident as one of them, not reported previously, updated for the fine amounts in the Saturday Game Accountability announcement.

• Cincinnati:  Ja'Marr Chase, $29,852 for two incidents
• Cincinnati:  Tee Higgins, $59,704 for FOUR incidents.  Between the two, FIVE obscene gestures and a vulgar act of it's own merit.  Four of the six were committed in the second quarter.  Three of them in a 69-second span.  NONE were flagged.
• Detroit:  Amon-Ra St. Brown, $59,704, FOUR incidents during the game.  All vulgar acts, three in the third quarter, once again, NONE WERE FLAGGED.
• Dallas:  Jake Ferguson, $13,611, "drinking" the ball.  This one probably stands, ball as prop.
• Dallas:  Brevyn Spann-Ford, $10,417 for participation in the same illegal celebration.
• Indianapolis:  Matt Gonclaves, $8,847 -- another ball as prop "drinking" situation, so that one probably stands.
• San Francisco:  Kyle Juszczyk, $14,926 for his illegal celebration, making him a TWO-TIME LOSER if that stands.

NONE OF THE FOURTEEN INCIDENTS WERE FLAGGED!!!!

Bud Light has opened up a fans' celebration situation and placed the combined totals of Ferguson's, Gonclaves' and Juszczyk's fines in it.  (Not clear yet as to whether they will add Spann-Ford's ten grand to the "jar" after today's announcement.)  No word yet on what actually it's going to do -- free beer, contests for cash, hasn't been announced yet.

Someone please explain to me why Chase, Higgins, and St. Brown are allowed to play this week, by the way.

So there's that.

There were four others in the same ilk, totaling EIGHTEEN such incidents this week:

• San Francisco:  Kyle Juszczyk received a second $14,926 fine earlier in the third-quarter drive, NOT FLAGGED, spinning the ball and drinking.  Again, ball as prop, that one should stand. And you can add his name to the list I gave above of players who should be ejected or suspended.
• Detroit:  Jahmyr Gibbs, $14,926, making him a TWO-TIME LOSER in two weeks
• Detroit:  Pennell Sewell, $14,926 
• Detroit:  And a FIFTH NFL player who should've been tossed/suspended:  Jameson Williams:  $14,926 for participating with St. Brown, Gibbs, and Sewell in the toking session, and another $11,941 for a separate taunting incident.

By the way, that is eight different Unsportsmanlike Conduct incidents for the Lions and six for the Bengals.  I would hope there were unannounced team fines in both cases.  If there weren't, I would then almost certainly believe you will see much of this reversed.

There were also three other Taunting fines this week, making a total of TWENTY-ONE Unsportsmanlike Conduct fines out of the 38 this week:

• New Orleans:  Chris Olave, $11,941
• New York Jets:  Geno Smith, $11,941
• San Francisco:  Upton Stout, $7,501

Well, we can finally get to everything else:

Face Masks:

• Atlanta:  Jake Matthews, $11,941
• Baltimore:  Roquan Smith, $11,941 That was the uncalled facemask on the controversial touchdown.
• Cincinnati:  DJ Turner, $11,941
• Cleveland:  Sam Williams, $6,361
• Detroit:  Tyler Lacy, $7,315
• Detroit:  Devin White, $7,222
• Pittsburgh:  Payton Wilson, $8,480

Late Hit:

• Arizona:  Karson Sharar, $5,372

Roughing the Passer:

• Baltimore:  Trey Hendrickson, $17,911, body weight
• Kansas City:  Jaden Hicks, $6,707, blow to the head
• San Francisco:  Keion White, $13,770, body weight

Striking/Kicking/Kneeing/etc.

• Tennessee:  Calvin Ridley, $12,537 -- I have him down as a two-time loser, but that's not going to get capitalized in this case, because I think it's apparent Ridley won his appeal from Week 1 on a similar charge, or this fine would've been doubled.
• Washington:  Odafe Oweh, $12,537

Helmet fouls (again, I'm not sure on these specifically regarding the new three-strikes rule):

• Chicago:  Tyrique Stevenson, $22,342.  Biggest single fine of the week.

Which leaves these as Points of Emphasis strikes:

• Buffalo:  Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, $11,194, hip-drop tackle, first strike
• Denver:  Alex Singleton, $17,911, defenseless player rule, first strike, TWO-TIME LOSER.
• Washington:  Jeremy Reaves, $10,277, defenseless player rule, first strike

And then three fines which were completely unmarked other than Unnecessary Roughness, so we don't know what these are for and whether these qualify under the PoE -- we assume they were not:

• Green Bay:  Ty'Ron Hopper, $8,325, on the opening kickoff, not flagged.
• Green Bay:  Chris McClellan, $7,167, a fourth-quarter hit on a muffed punt.  It was flagged.
• Tennessee:  Jeffery Simmons, $11,941, first-quarter incident, not flagged.  And he got away with an Unsportsmanlike Conduct fine of his own in the fourth quarter, when he went to the Philadelphia fans in attendance near his sideline, grabbed his crotch, and yelled "SUCK MY DICK!" after Tennessee took the lead.

If you got to the end of this, thank you.