Sometimes cooler heads at the NFL prevail because they recognize obvious missteps and correct them – such as the fining last week of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
The league has informed Juszcyek that the $14,926 fine it imposed on Sept. 24 for doing a celebration that it originally believed imitated drinking a beer wasn’t about drinking a beer after all.
Juszczyk built a good defense that it wasn’t.
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Firstly, he doesn’t generally drink.
Secondly, the guy’s nickname is “Juice,” which 49ers fans often chant when he makes a play. So, he claimed, he was imitating drinking juice.
As ESPN first reported, the NFL hearing officer listened to the juice drinking explanation and, like any sane person, considered it justifiable.
Why?
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“… Because his celebration was simulating drinking a juice box.”
The league had originally called Juszczyk’s celebration “an offensive demonstration” that could “reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.”
But during the appeal, which was heard on a Zoom meeting with the league on Tuesday, “Mr. Juszczyk finally stated that the fine is hypocritical with the amount of Bud Light sponsorships surrounding the NFL.”
Ziiiing!
It worked, because it is true.
When news of the original fine got out, Juszczyk made it very clear he was stunned by it because he’s been doing the same celebration for years. And it has never been about beer.
“I don’t know how else to say it. I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration,” Juszczyk said. “I think you guys all know my nickname is ‘Juice.’ I have juice [inscribed] on my pads, and the stadium yells, ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball.”
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And this:
“I don’t even drink beer,” Juszczyk added. “I may be drinking like five times a year and always in the offseason, and it’s usually with [teammate] George [Kittle] because he peer pressures me.”
The voiding of the fine is the best news Juszczyk has gotten this week. That’s because in Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos he suffered a knee injury.
An MRI on Monday revealed Juszczyk suffered a hyperextension and bone bruise, and he will miss “a few weeks,” coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed.
So all juice drinking celebrations are on hold for now.
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