Jared Verse’s Peace Sign Celebration Cost Him Nearly $12,000

The NFL’s rules against taunting can lead to some pretty funny fines.
Jared Verse cost himself quite a bit of cash when he decided to flash a peace sign to the Falcons’ sideline.
Jared Verse cost himself quite a bit of cash when he decided to flash a peace sign to the Falcons’ sideline. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Rams nearly pulled off an impressive comeback against the Falcons on Monday night, only to fall in the final minute to a late field goal.

As if taking the loss wasn’t enough, Rams defender Jared Verse also left Atlanta with a hefty fine due to the NFL’s strict rules against taunting.

Verse blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, representing a 10-point swing that brought the Rams within a score for the first time since the first quarter. As he rumbled towards the end zone, he flased a peace sign at the Falcons’ sideline.

On Saturday, the NFL announced that that peace sign cost him $11,593.

It’s worth noting that Verse was not penalized in the moment for the play, but that was likely due to the referees simply missing the gesture, as peace signs have led to unsportsmanlike flags and fines a few times over the past few years.

While the NFL might not want players flashing peace signs at their opponents, it feels like it should be pretty low on the list of hand gestures that justify a penalty.


FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.