It’s all fun and games on the field during the NFL season, but when things get rough, the league steps in to make sure players who did something dirty on the field get punished. That’s why every Saturday during the season and postseason, the NFL slaps players with gameday fines, penalizing them beyond a flag on the field.
Following the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles finale, some NFL analysts and experts thought Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce might get fined for some on field hoopla. Now, the NFL has handed down its final decision on Kelce and whether he’ll be held accountable in that game.
Travis Kelce and a Gameday Shove
During the play in question, Kelce was spotted in a hot moment with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Following Kelce taking a hit, he appeared to get up into Davis’ face and push him.
The funds raised from the fines go to the greater good, since the NFL notes that they’re donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to help “legends in need,” plus the NFL Foundation, which works to “further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels.”
During the game, no flags went down, and Kelce and the Chiefs weren’t punished for unnecessary roughness. On Saturday, February 15, the league sent out fines for gameday actions in the Super Bowl, and Kelce wasn’t fined. The only fines the NFL handed out were a $14,069 fine to Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams for spiking the football over the crossbar and a $5,690 fine to Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt for a “violent gesture” after a Patrick Mahomes sack. That’s surely welcome news for the star tight end.
Kelce’s Punishments Leading Up to the Super Bowl
For the game leading up to the Eagles matchup, however, Kelce didn’t get out of being fined. He was handed a $11,255 fine for an exchange with Damar Hamlin when the Chiefs towered over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce was also fined $14,069 for celebrating his high-profile Chiefs touchdown during the team’s Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after dunking the football over the goal post.
Chances are, the possibility of getting fined wasn’t on Kelce’s mind after the Chiefs’ loss to the Eagles. Following the game, reporters caught up with Kelce, who was licking his wounds.
“Couldn’t get it going offensively, they just got after us in all three phases,” Kelce said after the loss. “On top of that, turnovers, penalties, playing behind the sticks on offense, dropped passes, not taking advantage of the play call.”
He added that “there’s a lot that goes into” games like the Super Bowl. “You don’t lose like that without everything going bad.”
Then, on the Wednesday, February 12, edition of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason, he talked about the loss, stating that he was “kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field.” He also said that he “wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool and collected.”
