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Ja’marr Chase Calls Out Nfl For Celebration Fines After He And Tee Higgins Get Fined

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The Cincinnati Bengals have seen plenty of excitement through their 2-0 start. They have especially seen their duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins making plays. What has come along with that is a celebration that may have caught your eye. They are referring to it as “the people’s elbow.”

Whether they are making a reference to the move done by Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson during his time as a pro wrestler or not hasn’t been explained.

I think most of us can judge for ourselves if they have anything to do with each other. In any case, Chase has also said that NFL players and the NFLPA should fight these celebrations getting fined.

#Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase says the NFL fined him this week for doing the "peoples elbow" after his TD on Sunday.

"This is where the superstars have to get in with NFLPA and fight for our money. I'm getting fined for an elbow. … It's a wresting move."pic.twitter.com/KWdzPFgxUq

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2026

I think we all understand what these two are trying to get away with, but Chase and Higgins have a point. These are the kinds of things the NFL will highlight for traction and engagement on social media. Then they will turn around and fine the player.

It is also worth noting that this isn’t the first time Chase has been hit with a fine by the league.

His biggest hit was a fine and suspension that cost him over $500,000 when he spit on Jalen Ramsey and then was hit with a one-game suspension. Otherwise, his five other fines have added up to under $100,000.

According to Jonathan Jones, Higgins and Chase were fined a combined $89,556.

Update at @TheAthletic: BOING!

The NFL fined Bengals receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins a total of $89,556 for their six phallic-like celebrationshttps://t.co/CY1BRC4jZ0

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 24, 2026

It may sound like small potatoes at the end of the day to a guy who signed the most lucrative non-quarterback contract in NFL history (when it was signed), but that is money they are earning getting taken away regardless.

It will be interesting to watch how this unfolds since the NFL has gone back on strict celebration rules before. Prior to the 2017 season, the NFL rolled back a ton of needless acts that would get called for penalties or be fined.

You can combine this with Joe Burrow’s argument to just not penalize taunting anymore either, because at the end of the day, these are adult men getting paid to play a game. As long as everything is PG-13, what are we even talking about, you know?