San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk has gone by “Juice” for years, and the nickname is stitched right onto his pads. That made the NFL’s decision to fine him $14,926 for mimicking a drink during San Francisco’s 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on September 20 feel strange to anyone who has watched him play.
The league classified the gesture as an “offensive demonstration” that could reasonably be viewed as “in poor taste,” reading it as a nod to beer. That ruling might have ended there, except it reached Jason Kelce, who wouldn’t let it go unanswered.
Juszczyk has pushed back on that interpretation from the start, insisting the celebration had nothing to do with alcohol. His explanation traces back to the nickname that’s followed him throughout his career. Moreover, another detail that made the fine feel almost absurd, Kyle shared, “I don’t even drink beer!”
Former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce wasn’t letting that slide. His Garage Beer brand offered to cover the nearly $15,000 tab. Still, the irony has little to do with Juszczyk.
Bud Light has been the NFL’s official beer sponsor since 2011 in a deal worth more than $1 billion, and beer ads remain a fixture of every broadcast. Reports suggested that a Michelob Ultra ad aired after his celebration, a detail that came up once he joined Jason and Travis Kelce on New Heights.
“Hypocrisy at the highest level,” Kelce said.
“The NFL has beer labeled out off of every single thing in the stadiums. It’s on every commercial break,” he added. “[Bud Light] is an official sponsor of the NFL. It feels just very weird that, all of a sudden, they’re cracking down on this one specific thing.”
Bud Light turned the league’s fine structure into its own promotion, launching a “Celly Jar” worth $37,384 – the exact combined total of three Week 2 fines.
Along with Juszczyk’s $14,926 penalty, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was fined $13,611, and Indianapolis Colts guard Matt Goncalves was docked $8,847.
