The National Football League, which turned 105 in 2025, is enjoyed by millions of fans across the county and other continents. My family is just like any other — Thanksgiving football games are always on during our time together. Regardless of the team playing, many of us are watching … especially after eating too much Thanksgiving food.
32 teams make up the entire league — this is split in half, with 16 teams being part of the National Football Conference (NFC) and the other half being part of the American Football Conference (AFC).
Typically, families have their own “family team,” or a favorite player — my favorite player is Joe Burrow, but I’m not necessarily a hardcore Cincinnati Bengals fan. I grew up with a brother and dad who are lifelong fans of the Minnesota Vikings, so I have a soft spot for that team. Otherwise, I find myself cheering for the Buffalo Bills.
And almost every week, the NFL penalizes players for assorted reasons — such as unnecessary roughness, facemask penalties and unsportsmanlike conduct.
But penalties are ultimately subjective. One player may be fined for doing something, and then one player who did the same might not. That is why I believe that the NFL needs to take a step back on the amount of penalties they give to their players.
For example: D.J. Moore, a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, gave the Bears a 15-yard taunting penalty, for flipping the ball toward Steelers cornerback James Pierre after a 5-yard catch. Besides the penalty, Moore was fined $11,593 — and it was labeled as “taunting”.
Moore also celebrated by throwing the ball into the stands — which is a gesture that is classified under the NFL’s “Football Into Stands” category. The NFL decided to not fine Moore for this, saving the wide receiver $8,114 for a first offense.
Moore’s fine is one of the more obvious offenses that an NFL player has committed. While flipping the ball towards another player is not unheard of, it’s something that the NFL has been cracking down on. It’s understandable why he was fined for his actions.
One of the more outrageous fines this season was given to George Pickens, who is a receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. Pickens jumped onto the goalpost during the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders game on Nov. 17 after he scored a touchdown. Pickens was fined $26,085 for what the NFL termed “Unsportsmanlike Conduct — Use of prop.”
Picken’s celebration was harmless. It did not hurt anybody — and a $26,000 fine is excessive. While the money that the NFL receives from players is donated to charity, it does not mean that players should be fined that much for a celebration. While it technically may be against the rules, punishing a player for having fun should not be the first choice.
Many football fans enjoy watching players like Justin Jefferson or Jalen Hurts hit the griddy — it humanizes them. While they make more money than any of us could imagine, it lets us find them a little more relatable: and, in general, it’s nice to watch others having a good time.
If I had to pick an all-time favorite touchdown celebration, it would be Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown — when he did head-stand after scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in 2024. Luckily, St. Brown was not fined for this celebration — and it’s not against any rules to do a head stand.
The NFL just has to make a choice on what they deem appropriate and inappropriate. I think that if a celebration is harmless, like George Picken’s celebration, then there is no need to fine the player thousands of dollars for having fun.
