No Fun League Strikes Again: Colts OL Receives Ridiculous Fine for TD Celebration

The Indianapolis Colts are fresh off their second straight loss of the 2026 regular season after losing an overtime thriller 33-30 to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

While the Colts' horrific defensive performance over two weeks is at the forefront of their embarrassing 0-2 start, a Week 2 fine recently handed down serves as another reminder that the NFL stands for No Fun League.

Colts' third-year right guard Matt Goncalves was fined $8,847 for pretending to chug a beer while celebrating with tight end Tyler Warren after an early first-half score.

Warren took the football after scoring his red zone touchdown and gave it to Goncalves, who subsequently popped the top off and shotgunned the imaginary can in question before ultimately finishing the brief yet apparently offensive move with a family-friendly spike.

#Colts RG Matt Goncalves was indeed fined $8,847 by the NFL for pretending to chug a beer while celebrating with TE Tyler Warren after Warren’s first-quarter TD in Week 2, sources confirms to @TheAthletic.

The NFL deemed it as an offensive gesture. Goncalves will appeal. pic.twitter.com/zvSWBxvOmX
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) September 24, 2026

This was not called for an unsportsmanlike penalty at the time, but has since been upgraded to being deemed an 'offensive demonstration.'

“Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration…in poor taste," the NFL explained why it fined the celebration in a statement, via ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It wasn't just Goncalves though, as San Francisco 49ers' longtime fullback Kyle Juszczyk was also fined for a beer-related celebration today. He was fined $14,926 for 'engaging in offensive demonstrations,' like Goncalves.

According to the league, these celebrations violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which states that chugging a beer is grounds for such penalty.

The fine notice(s) also includes the following statement: "Players are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the game and is consistent with NFL standards of sportmanship." Further offenses will result in ramped up disciplinary action, up to and including suspension.

For a league that is comprised of numerous alcohol and gambling sponsorships, it's rather ironic that this is where they draw the line.

Furthermore, it's not like this is the first time any NFL player has celebrated in such a fashion.

For example, Juszczyk has been doing this for years, though his workaround is that he claims he's drinking juice to honor his nickname. But even when it comes to the Colts, they have had numerous instances of this over the years.

Quenton Nelson had his iconic kegstand celebration in 2019, and then Tyler Warren and Michael Pittman Jr. teamed up last season to do the exact same celebration that Matt Goncalves was just fined for -- a pair of celebrations that the Indianapolis Colts themselves posted about on social media.

cheers. @budlight | #FortheCelly pic.twitter.com/TPguUWbmoA
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 5, 2025

Yes, rules can change, but it's ridiculous that players are fined for the very things that the league promotes.

While I fully agree with the premise of protecting younger generations from the normalization of things like alcohol abuse, I don't think this point gets across when the league itself is pushing for more people to gamble and/or drink alcohol when promoting their own product.

Furthermore, it's interesting to see how the NFL has interpreted every 'chug' as a beer. The league has taken liberties with its assumptions so that it can earn back as much money from the players as possible.

Both Matt Goncalves and Kyle Juszczyk are planning on appealing their fine(s) in question.

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