Patrick Mahomes has been fined nearly $15,000 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct.
According to NBC Sports, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, 29, was fined $14,069 for a “violent gesture” he made in the fourth quarter of the team’s away game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Chiefs lost the matchup in a final score of 30-21.
Mahomes made the gesture, in which he used his fingers to mimic shooting a gun, after throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Noah Gray. The NFL ruled that the touchdown celebration was not acceptable.
Per CBS Sports, Mahomes was previously fined $50,000 in December 2023 for “verbally abusing” an official during a game against the Bills involving a play that led to the Chiefs losing.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid received a $100,000 fine from the same game for publicly criticizing an official, the NFL reported.
Until last Sunday’s game against the Bills, Mahomes had led the Chiefs through an undefeated season. This marked the team’s first defeat since they played on Christmas Day in 2023 and lost to the Las Vegas Raiders.
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“It’s a good football team, so there’s nothing to hang your head [about],” Mahomes told reporters following the Chiefs-Bills game. “We feel like we can play better, so we will get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end.”
“I’m hoping that [losing] is a benefit. I’m not going to say I or we relaxed, but at the same time I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of the game,” he added.
Mahomes also tipped his helmet to the Bills — who are currently leading the AFC East — for their strong performance. “It’s going to take your best football to beat great football teams, and we didn’t play our best football today and they went out there and beat us,” he told reporters.
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“That’s how it rolls in the NFL, and so all due respect to them. That’s going to be a good football team that we will probably see [in the playoffs],” he added.
The Chiefs will next take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m.
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