NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the 'people’s elbow' celebration

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confirmed Thursday the league fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration.

Chase insisted the “people’s elbow” celebration, which involves grabbing his right elbow with his left hand and flopping the right arm forward, isn’t the sort of off-color humor others have made it out to be on social media, and they are simply creating a new way to signal a first down.

The NFL disagreed and fined both receivers. The first offense for an unsportsmanlike conduct fine is $14,926 while taunting offenses are $11,941.

“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.”

Chase, who has been fined six times by the league for various infractions, said he hopes the latest punishments from the league spur action within the NFLPA.

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’s been doing the celebration for years and he’s 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.”

Chase’s six career fines have totaled $613,162 and include a previous obscene gesture designation when he flashed two middle fingers at Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the 2022 season opener.

Last season, Chase was suspended for one game for spitting on Pittsburgh cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The suspension cost him $507,156. The Bengals face the Steelers (1-1) on Sunday.

He’s 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).

Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas successfully appealed a fine for a “violent gesture” when he used a bow-and-arrow celebration after a touchdown in Kansas City in 2024.

Iosivas hasn’t used the celebration since winning the appeal.

Chase is hoping what he believes is a vague gesture will lead to he and Higgins winning their appeal, but he didn’t commit to not using the celebration in the feature, even demonstrating a possible to tweak to it during his news conference.

“This is literally like a wrestling move,” he said. “It was something different for us, something new, something we’re trying to be unique. They’re just stopping the fun.”

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