NFL fines Jets pass rusher Will McDonald for ‘violent gesture’ directed towards his former teammate, Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
They aren’t playing around.
The return of the NFL season means a lot of things. But for the NFL league office, it means getting back to handing out fines. Pittsburgh Steelers TE Connor Heyward found that out firsthand, losing a solid chunk of change for a personal foul last week.
But as for the New York Jets, they didn’t escape the fines themselves, with pass rusher Will McDonald, who terrorized Steelers LT Broderick Jones all afternoon, receiving a hefty one. After one of those wins and subsequent sacks of QB Aaron Rodgers, he made a gesture that suggested he tossed a grenade, which the NFL deemed a “violent gesture,” fining him close to $15,000.
NFL fines Will McDonald for violent gesture against Steelers
“Unsportsmanlike gestures like simulating either shooting a gun or brandishing a gun, or inappropriate gestures like a throat slash, or unfortunate sexual gestures, those were up 133% [in 2024] so that is a point of emphasis,” NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson said in August. “The officials have made it a point of emphasis to the clubs. It’s just one of those areas that the league wants to work actively on. There are plenty of ways for players to be able to celebrate, and they come up with some very unique and often entertaining ways, so we want them to focus on those and not the inappropriate areas.”
The grenade toss gesture might be a first for the NFL, but it’s far from foreign in the NBA. Grizzlies star Ja Morant has gone viral more than a few times for the act, and it appears that after sacking his former teammate, McDonald took a similar path.
Ultimately, the NFL is clearly cracking down on anything it deems detrimental to the game. I’m a big “let the guys play” person, but with more eyes than ever on the league, I can understand where those in New York are coming from.
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He’s sick and tired of it.
