A Detroit Lions receiver is fined $19,697 by the NFL for making an offensive gesture.
Jameson Williams, a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, received the largest of the 19 penalties the NFL imposed for infractions during Week 11 of the 2024 season.
Williams did not make helmet-to-helmet contact or deliver a forceful hit to an undefended player in order to receive the penalty. However, after scoring a touchdown, he did grasp his crotch, which was legally considered “unsportsmanlike conduct (obscene gestures)” and resulted in a $19,697 punishment. On the pitch, no penalty was given.
On Sunday, the Lions defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 52–6 after Williams scored on a 64-yard catch. Williams paid homage to former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch by leaping backward into the end zone while grabbing his crotch at the conclusion of his dash down the field.
The NFL fined Lynch $11,050 for “excessive celebration (inappropriate gesture)” when he employed the celebration following a 79-yard touchdown run in the Seattle Seahawks’ 35-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on December 21, 2014.
Williams has received a punishment for celebrating a score for the second time this season.
Following a 70-yard touchdown reception, Williams dunked the football over the crossbar in Detroit’s 42-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on September 30. Williams stated that he intended the celebration to honor Calvin Johnson, a former wide receiver with the Lions. The NFL penalized him $14,069 after he was called for unsportsmanlike behavior.
