NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for 'people’s elbow' celebration

Nbcwashington · Sep 24, 2026 · 520 words · By Jay Morrison; The Associated Press

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What to know about NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for 'people’s elbow' celebration

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confirmed Thursday the league fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase confirmed Thursday the league fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration.

Why it matters

Chase insisted the “people’s elbow” celebration, which involves grabbing his right elbow with his left hand and flopping the right arm forward, isn’t the sort of off-color humor others have made it out to be on social media, and they are simply creating a new…

Common ground

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Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: NFL fines Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for 'people’s elbow' celebration?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Chase’s six career fines have totaled $613,162?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/jamarr-chase-tee-higgins-peoples-e…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 4

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info

Claim 1: “Chase’s six career fines have totaled $613,162”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific total of $613,162 for six career fines is mentioned in the Sportsnet.ca result, but not corroborated by other independent sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ja'Marr Anthony Chase (born March 1, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja'Marr_Chase

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NFL season was the 105th season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 5, 2024, with reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City defeating Baltimore in the NFL Kick…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NFL_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NFL season was the 106th season of the National Football League (NFL). The regular season began on September 4, 2025, with reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia defeating Dallas in the NF…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NFL_season

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “taunting against the Chiefs in 2022 ($15,914)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The league also fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for what he claimed was a misinterpreted celebration”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (AP, YouTube, TikTok) confirm that Kyle Juszczyk was fined by the NFL for a celebration he claimed was misinterpreted.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kyle Patrick Juszczyk ( YOOSS-chek; born April 23, 1991) is an American professional football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Juszczyk

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Shanahan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NFL draft was the 91st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The event was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from April 23 to 25, 2026.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NFL_draft

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “The Bengals face the Steelers (1-1) on Sunday”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the specific upcoming game schedule or the current record of the Steelers for the mentioned Sunday.

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Claim 5: “Last season, Chase was suspended for one game for spitting on Pittsburgh cornerback Jalen Ramsey”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (CBS Sports HQ, and other news reports) confirm Ja’Marr Chase was suspended for one game for spitting on Jalen Ramsey.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — NFL suspends Ja’Marr Chase for spitting at opponent, removing top Bengals receiver from matchup vs. Patriots.On what Mike Tomlin would tell Jalen Ramsey in circumstances like the one with Chase: "I ha…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been suspended one game after the NFL found he spat on Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey on Sunday. Chase will miss the Bengals’ Week 12 ga…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6812843/2025/11/17/jamarr-c…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ryan Wilson joins CBS Sports HQ to discuss the NFL suspending Ja'Marr Chase for one game after spitting on Steelers corner Jalen Ramsey.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHAN...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or1jODTUnkM

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Claim 6: “The first offense for an unsportsmanlike conduct fine is $14,926 while taunting offenses are $11,941”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly link the $14,926 amount to a first-offense unsportsmanlike conduct fine (citing Stefon Diggs) and the $11,941 amount to a taunting fine (citing DK Metcalf).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Super Bowl is the league championship final game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 replacing the NFL Champi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players was a ten-part television series that set out to determine the top 100 greatest NFL players of all time. It was presented by the NFL Network in 2010. The series wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_100:_NFL's_Greatest_Pl…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “an obscene gesture in a 2024 game against Baltimore ($19,697)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “the league fined him and teammate Tee Higgins for their new “people’s elbow” celebration”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the NFL fined Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for their 'people’s elbow' celebration.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season is the Cincinnati Bengals' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall, their 27th playing their home games at Paycor Stadium, and their eighth under head coach Zac …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Cincinnati_Bengals_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tamaurice William "Tee" Higgins (born January 18, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tee_Higgins

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The league said the fine was for imitating chugging a beer”

CORROBORATED

Cross-referenced and corroborated by multiple sources (Nypost, AP, Google News) stating the NFL's reason for the fine was imitating chugging a beer.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kristin Juszczyk (née Arceri; born February 11, 1994) is an American fashion designer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Juszczyk

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+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “include a previous obscene gesture designation when he flashed two middle fingers at Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the 2022 season opener”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Chase flashed middle fingers at Minkah Fitzpatrick in the 2022 season opener, and Sportsnet.ca explicitly links this to a fine.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Chase’s six career fines have totaled $613,162 and include a previous obscene gesture designation when he flashed two middle fingers at Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the 2022 season opener.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nfl/article/nfl-fines-jamarr-chase-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) catches a pass as Pittsburg Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) defends during the second quarter of a Week 1 NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11…
https://www.fox19.com/2022/09/17/bengals-jamarr-chase-fined-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ja’Marr Chase’s feelings for Minkah Fitzpatrick went viral in photo form.That much was evident when onlookers could see Chase jawing with Steelers defensive backs often during his team’s season-openin…
https://sports.yahoo.com/ja-marr-chase-feelings-minkah-09551…

info

Claim 11: “Chase, who has been fined six times by the league for various infractions”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific count of 'six times' is mentioned in one Sportsnet.ca result, but other search results for 'Ja'Marr Chase fines' were generic or unrelated to the total count.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ja, grammatical particle meaning "yes" in most Germanic languages, Slovene language and informal English Ja, meaning "I" in many Slavic languages Ya (Cyrillic) (Я), a Cyrillic letter, pronounced /ja/ …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is American-based coordinating body of the Junior Achievement network, a non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Achievement

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 13, 2026 · The Nike Ja 4 arrives in August 2026 with updated cushioning, traction and design features. Here's what changed from the Ja 3, how it sizes, and where to buy it.
https://www.nike.com/a/ja-4-release-info

schedule

Claim 12: “He’s also been fined for verbally abusing an official at Kansas City in 2024 ($31,599)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas successfully appealed a fine for a “violent gesture” when he used a bow-and-arrow celebration after a touchdown in Kansas City in 2024”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 14: “The suspension cost him $507,156”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific monetary cost of the suspension ($507,156).

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.