Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown was fined $10,000 by the NFL for mocking two Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs in Sunday’s week 8 game, he said on Twitter on Saturday.
“My two pinky points recently cost me 5k each,” he wrote.
The 25-year-old pointed to Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after scoring a second quarter touchdown in the Eagles’ 35-13 win.
That was the game’s third second touchdown, the first coming towards the end of the first quarter, with Brown slicing a ball that looked like it could have been intercepted.
It was a huge game for Brown, finishing with six catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Brown is the first Eagles player in 53 years to have 3 touchdowns of 25 yards or more in a game.
NFL Rules and Regulations
The performance appears to be the gift that Brown keeps on giving, who also joked on Twitter that it triggered a “random” NFL drug test the next morning.
“I was supposed to have a drug test this morning, huh,” he said wrote“Rogerrrrr this is not random.”
While the NFL has somewhat of a track record for their random drug tests landing after great performances, the league is also no stranger to handing out penalties for celebrations.
This is only Brown’s third fine. The previous two came in 2020 with the Titans for outrageous celebrations, totaling $19,000.
Earlier this season, Jamaal Williams was ordered to pay a $13,315.25 fine after the Detroit Lions who backtracked were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a passionate touchdown celebration in Week 3, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Williams had scored his second touchdown of the day, hitting his hips three times, raising the officials’ flag.
If that dollar amount sounds big, it’s actually only slightly more than the collectively agreed-upon fine for the first offense of unsportsmanlike conduct that Brown likely incurred.
In addition, the NFL says the collected fines will not go to them, but will be donated through the NFL Foundation to programs that select the NFL and NFLPA.
So while Brown says he’ll keep his “hands, feet, and other objects” to himself while he plays for the 8-0 Eagles, rest assured his celebrations will benefit a greater good.
