San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk is still waiting to learn the outcome of his appeal of a $14,926 NFL fine over his signature juice-chugging touchdown celebration, more than a week after filing it.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, Juszczyk described the appeal process in detail, comparing it to a legal proceeding.
“It’s what I imagine a court hearing would be like. They read your fine and give the letter of the law,” Juszczyk said. “They let you speak, and you basically explain what happened on the play. What your responsibility was. What you were thinking.”
He said players’ agents and representatives from the NFL Players Association also get to weigh in before a decision comes down. There’s no set timeline for the ruling, Juszczyk said, and similar appeals can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to resolve. He added that he’s hopeful the fine will ultimately be overturned.
The fine stems from a celebration in which Juszczyk mimed chugging a drink after a touchdown. The league’s letter to Juszczyk stated that “your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.”
Juszczyk has repeatedly said the celebration was meant to depict juice, not beer, and argued the distinction shouldn’t matter given the NFL’s own relationship with alcohol brands.
“Even if it was beer, I don’t think that should be a problem with all of the beer endorsements that we have in the NFL. Even if it was beer, which it wasn’t, I still felt like it wasn’t an infraction.”
He also pointed to the league’s sponsorship deal with Bud Light, which serves as the NFL’s official beer and hard seltzer partner, as evidence the punishment doesn’t add up.
Bud Light has leaned into the controversy. Hours after Juszczyk’s fine became public, the brand responded to a post from 49ers tight end George Kittle confirming that Juszczyk doesn’t actually drink beer. Then on Friday, Bud Light rolled out a promotion called the “Celly Jar,” offering fans a combined $37,384 — matching the total fines levied against Juszczyk, Indianapolis Colts guard Matt Goncalves, and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson for their own drinking-themed celebrations last week.
Juszczyk and his wife, Kristin Juszczyk, have taken the episode in stride. The day he learned of the fine, the couple posted a TikTok video showing them making juice at home in a mock protest of the league’s ruling.
