Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins confirmed on Thursday, September 24, 2026, that the NFL fined them for their "people's elbow" celebration used during a victory over the Houston Texans. The celebration involves a player grabbing their right elbow with their left hand and moving the arm forward. The league issued the fines for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Chase and Higgins stated the move was a wrestling-inspired gesture intended to signal a first down.
The fines stem from a game played on Sunday, September 20, 2026, in which Cincinnati defeated Houston 20-6. Higgins reported that the NFL fined him $14,926 for each of the four times he performed the celebration during the game, totaling $59,704. Chase was fined twice for the same gesture, resulting in a total penalty of $29,852. Combined, the two players were fined $89,556.
Chase characterized the celebration as a way to be unique and noted that social media users had misinterpreted the meaning of the gesture. He expressed a desire to appeal the fines and called for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to seek clearer guidelines for player celebrations. Higgins, who had only been fined once previously in his career for dunking a ball over a goalpost in 2020, indicated during a television appearance that the celebration is now "dead."
The enforcement of these rules changes the concrete day-to-day work environment for NFL players, who may now face five-figure deductions from their paychecks for specific hand gestures or choreographed movements. Players like Chase have stated they feel restricted in how they can communicate about these penalties, claiming they could face further fines for posting about the league's decisions on social media. This incident follows a similar $14,926 fine against San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a gesture the league interpreted as chugging a beer, which Juszczyk claimed was merely a reference to his nickname, "Juice."
These fines set a precedent for how the NFL monitors and penalizes non-verbal communication that it deems unsportsmanlike, even when players argue the gestures are harmless wrestling references. The knock-on effect may involve a formal push by high-profile players within the NFLPA to negotiate more specific celebration rules in future labor discussions. The Bengals are scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, September 27, 2026, where the conduct of Chase and Higgins will likely remain under league observation. Chase has not yet committed to permanently ending the celebration but suggested he might modify it.