Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was fined $11,255 for taunting during Sunday’s AFC championship game victory over the Buffalo Bills, the league announced Saturday.
The taunt that prompted the fine came after a touchdown run by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the final two minutes of the second quarter. Kelce approached Bills safeties Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop, aggressively nodding his head as he said something.
Multiple referees were standing near Kelce at the time of the taunt. But none of them threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, which would have cost the Chiefs 15 yards after the play, either on the extra point try or the ensuing kickoff.
However, the referees did throw a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips after he responded to Kelce’s taunt by headbutting the tight end.
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Phillips was also fined $6,722 for the headbutt, the league announced Saturday.
The Chiefs won the game, 32-29, and many fans expressed outrage over multiple calls that benefited Kansas City during the game.
Officials ruled Bills quarterback Josh Allen was stopped short of a first down on a 4th-and-short play in the fourth quarter. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said during the broadcast he believed Allen got the first down.
That call prompted backlash from NFL fans on social media, but it was not the only one.
During the second quarter, officials ruled Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy made a catch despite video replay showing the ball touched the ground.
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Referees came under similar scrutiny during the Chiefs’ divisional round playoff win against the Houston Texans one week earlier when a pair of roughing the passer penalties were called against the Texans for hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Houston edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was called for roughing the passer on a third down in the first quarter. Anderson appeared to push Mahomes in the chest after Mahomes had thrown the ball incomplete to tight end Travis Kelce and was flagged.
The second penalty came during a Mahomes scramble in the third quarter. He had two blockers on a run and three defenders bearing down on him. He moved to his right and then back to his left when he decided to slide.
ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman criticized the penalty and said it’s something the league has to address in the offseason.
Texans players and head coach DeMeco Ryans criticized the referees after the game.
Mahomes addressed the issue when asked by reporters Wednesday if he believed referees were giving him preferential treatment.
“I don’t feel that way,” Mahomes answered. “At the end of the day, the referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can. And all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. … I think that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.
“You get new referees every year. You get new circumstances, and you never can really tell because every play’s different. And that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win. And whatever happens kind of happens.”
Kelce refused to address the issue when asked by brother Jason Kelce about the officiating during an episode of their “New Heights” podcast.
“I’d like to plead the Fifth,” the tight end said, jokingly referring to his constitutional right to remain silent, when Jason brought up the issue.
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