The NFL’s Week 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties added up to $300,089, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tee Higgins each facing a bill of nearly $60,000.
The league issued 22 fines in that category, predominantly involving prohibited celebrations and vulgar acts. The Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals receivers each received four fines totaling $59,704.
The NFL issued 22 fines totaling $300,089 for Week 2 infractions for unsportsmanlike conduct, mostly for illegal celebrations and vulgar acts.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and Bengals WR Tee Higgins tied for the lead with four fines each totaling $59,704.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 26, 2026
Together, their penalties account for $119,408, or nearly 40 percent of the reported total. That concentration shows how quickly repeated infractions can turn a single game’s celebrations into a substantial financial penalty.
St. Brown and Higgins each receive four fines
The NFL’s official Week 2 list shows four $14,926 charges against St. Brown, all classified as “illegal celebrations and vulgar acts.”
Higgins received three fines for obscene gestures and another for a prohibited celebration, also at $14,926 apiece. His teammate Ja’Marr Chase had two obscene-gesture fines totaling $29,852.
The distinction matters when evaluating the leaguewide number: The total covers unsportsmanlike conduct, including taunting, rather than celebrations alone. It also counts individual fines, so one player can appear multiple times.
Kyle Juszczyk’s response adds context to the penalties
The broader accounting follows Kyle Juszczyk’s objection to a celebration fine earlier this week.
The league fined the San Francisco 49ers fullback $14,926 after interpreting his gesture as pretending to drink beer.
“And I don’t even drink beer!” Juszczyk told Adam Schefter in a text, according to the reporter.
Schefter explained that the gesture reflected Juszczyk’s “Juice” nickname and had been part of his celebrations for years.
His response illustrates why these penalties can become disputes about interpretation: The league’s explanation and the player’s account assign different meanings to the same act.
Saturday’s list also contains two separate $14,926 entries for Juszczyk. That puts his listed Week 2 total at $29,852, beyond the single fine discussed in Thursday’s report.
Players can challenge the fines
The amounts assessed are not necessarily the amounts ultimately collected. Under the NFL’s appeals process, a player can contest a penalty before an appeals officer jointly appointed by the league and NFL Players Association.
A rescinded fine is not deducted from the player’s paycheck.
The NFL also says its discipline system is intended to uphold conduct standards, with most rules and fines established through collective bargaining. It says collected fines support the Professional Athletes Foundation and NFL Foundation.
That leaves two separate questions around this week’s penalties: whether each gesture warranted discipline and whether the individual fines survive any appeals. The published amounts establish the scale of the penalties assessed, without settling either question.
