Tee Higgins Speaks Out: New Celebration 'Misunderstood' Following NFL Fines

Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase were fined by the NFL for their new "People's Elbow" celebration the pair's post-play celebration. Higgins confirmed that the forward-elbow motioning celebration was only a wrestling move inspired by The Rock during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show.

Higgins also confirmed that the NFL fined him and Chase and added that the celebration is dead. He later explained that people online suggested the celebration could mean something else.

"I'm a fan of WWE, the people's elbow and we just threw in a first down celebration with it," Higgins explained. "Unfortunately we did get the letter, everybody on the internet is making it seem like something that it isn't."

Higgins Has Only Been Fined Once Before

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) walks the sideline between drives in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. The Bengals improved to 2-0 on the season with a 20-6 win on the road. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Higgins only other fine in his NFL career came during his rookie season. During a contest against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on November 15th, 2020, the league fined Higgins $9,291 for dunking the ball over the goalpost.

This time, the NFL fined him for four separate times from last week's victory over the Texans for each time he used the celebration. Each fine is $14,926, so Higgins must now pay $59,704 total. Chase received two separate fines totaling $29,852, adding up to a total fine of $89,556 for the star wideouts.

Chase voiced his desire to see more straightforward guidelines from the NFL on how players can celebrate.

"I think this is where the superstars have to get in with the NFLPA and fight for our money," Chase said on Thursday. "I can't really do much about it. We could complain. I don't even think we can tweet about it because we get fined for tweeting about it. So, it's really like players have to keep their mouths shut and deal with it. But we got to have a superstar in the NFLPA to do something about it. Help us along the way."

The Bengals travel to Pittsburgh for their first divisional matchup of the season on Sunday. Plenty of attention should be on how Higgins and Chase celebrate big plays, should they get the opportunity against a Steelers secondary that could be missing Joey Porter Jr. once more.

Watch Higgins' conversation with Kay Adams here.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Check out Ja'Marr Chase's full comments on Thursday below:

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