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Kyle Juszczyk gets fined for chugging celebration that NFL says was beer and he says was juice

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Cite

Dubow, J. (2026, September 25). Kyle Juszczyk gets fined for chugging celebration that NFL says was beer and he says was juice. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/kyle-juszczyk-gets-fined-for-chugging-celebration-that-nfl-says-was-beer-and-he-says-was-juice/article_05c3d6c3-bd6e-5890-9cbf-f00776b3de35.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-25 · by Josh Dubow

Quick Summary

The NFL fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for his celebratory “chugging” gesture after a catch during Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. Juszczyk claims the action mimics drinking juice and has been part of his routine since joining the team; he disputes the NFL’s characterization that it was beer. The league recently announced stricter enforcement on celebration conduct, leading to multiple fines this week including one for Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for their “people’s elbow” gesture.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Kyle Juszczyk, a 35-year-old fullback for the San Francisco 49ers, was fined $14,926 by the NFL after performing his signature "chugging juice" touchdown celebration during a game against the Miami Dolphins. The league deemed it an offensive demonstration and poor taste, though Juszczyk maintains he was not drinking beer but rather celebrating with a gesture that reflects his nickname, "Juice." This fine has sparked controversy due to its perceived hypocrisy, as fans point out that the celebration had been used without issue for years. Bud Light, the NFL's official beer sponsor, chimed in on social media to confirm that Juszczyk’s teammate George Kittle does drink beer but also called both players "good guys."

Written for “Kyle Juszczyk Beer Fine” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Kyle Juszczyk Beer Fine
Sports · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 3% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes Kyle Juszczyk being fined by the NFL for a celebration deemed as chugging beer, while Article B discusses Bud Light's marketing campaign related to the fine but is not describing the same specific event.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss the fine for Kyle Juszczyk's celebration, Article B includes a video reaction by him and his wife which is not part of the original incident but a response to it.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Kyle Juszczyk's fine for a celebratory gesture, ARTICLE A focuses on Ja'Marr Chase's reaction and commentary about the fine, whereas ARTICLE B provides details of why Juszczyk was fined.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
30
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 30 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
2
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10986 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Josh Dubow
38 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Micah Ford rushed for 150 yards, Nico Brown caught two TD passes and Caden High had nine catches for 103 yards and a score for the Cardinal. CJ Bailey threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and Will Wilson ran for two short scores for the Wolfpack (3-4, 1-3).
🔮 San Francisco 49ers star receiver Mike Evans will miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons because of Achilles tendinitis.
🔮 He didn’t return to the game and his status for this week’s game against Atlanta remains in question with coach Kyle Shanahan saying he didn’t know how long the issue will impact Evans’ ability to practice or play.
🔮 San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans left Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders with an Achilles tendon injury and the team said he would not return.
🔮 Daniels was then sacked by Keion White and Ogbo Okoronkwo before he could throw up a desperation pass.
🔮 With five more pass attempts, he will take his place on top of the all-time leaderboards.
🔮 Lupoi told ESPN it would be a competition at quarterback going forward despite the heavy investment Cal has made in Sagapolutele.
🔮 Defensive end Nick Bosa (calf) didn’t practice Thursday, but Shanahan said there’s a chance he could return this week after missing the past three games.
🔮 Thrash upheld the suspension and Greenlaw will miss Monday night’s game against Washington and lose out on nearly $200,000 in pay for the week.
🔮 Greenlaw will miss San Francisco’s game next Monday night against Washington pending an appeal on Tuesday.
Also by Josh Dubow
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 38 articles by Josh Dubow →

Topics

49ers Calif. NFL SANTA CLARA San Francisco 49ers

Subjects

Juszczyk PERSON · 14× NFL ORG · 4× 49ers ORG · 2× Chase PERSON · 2× Juice PERSON · 2× San Francisco GPE · 2× Calif. GPE · 1× Kyle Juszczyk PERSON · 1× SANTA CLARA GPE · 1× San Francisco 49ers ORG · 1×

Narrative

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 way to signal a first down.
framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 “Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the league wrote in the fine letter to Juszczyk, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

Claims (30 extracted, 1 hedged)

The NFL fined San Francisco 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk for what it deemed an “offensive” celebration similar to one he had been doing for several years with no issues. asserted
he → fin → issues
Juszczyk was fined $14,926 after he imitated drinking a beverage following a catch in the third quarter of San Francisco’s win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. asserted
he → fin → Sunday
“Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the league wrote in the fine letter to Juszczyk, which was obtained by The Associated Press. uncertain
which → chug → Press
“Players are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the game and is consistent with NFL standards of sportsmanship.” asserted
that → expect → sportsmanship
Juszczyk, whose nickname is “Juice,” has been doing a version of that celebration throughout his career in San Francisco in response to 49ers fans chanting his nickname after catches or other big plays. asserted
fans → do → catches
“I don’t know how else to say it. asserted
I → know → it
I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration,” Juszczyk said Thursday. asserted
Juszczyk → drink → celebration
“I think you guys all know my nickname is Juice. asserted
nickname → think → ?
I have Juice on my pads. asserted
I → have → pads
The stadium yells ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball. asserted
I → yell → ball
When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been that way for years. asserted
it → celebrate → years
So I was surprised as anybody when I got a fine this week.” asserted
I → get → fine
The fine was first reported by ESPN. asserted
fine → report → ESPN
Juszczyk said he initially thought coach Kyle Shanahan was joking when he told him about the fine and hopes it gets removed after his appeal next week. asserted
it → say → appeal
The NFL has vowed to crack down on celebrations this season and Juszczyk wasn’t the only player to get fined this week. asserted
Juszczyk → vow → celebrations
Juszczyk said he was told about six other players got fined. asserted
players → say → ?
That includes Cincinnati receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with Chase saying the two were docked for their new “people’s elbow” celebration. asserted
two → include → celebration
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 way to signal a first down. asserted
they → insist → down
Juszczyk said he doesn’t remember what the players were told about the crackdown during preseason but he never would have thought it would have applied to his longtime celebration. asserted
it → say → celebration
Juszczyk’s teammates are amused by the situation, with tight end George Kittle saying that his new nickname will be “Beer” instead of “Juice.” asserted
nickname → amuse → situation
Juszczyk himself had fun with it. asserted
Juszczyk → have → it
Before talking to the media, he put a container on his locker shelf wrapped in white paper and “NOT BEER” written on it. asserted
he → talk → it
He also had a picture of a juice box with his uniform number 44 displayed. asserted
number → have → box
“That’s the other side of it, is I don’t even drink beer,” Juszczyk said. asserted
Juszczyk → drink → beer
“I maybe drink like five times a year in the offseason. asserted
I → drink → offseason
It’s usually with George because he peer pressures me.” asserted
he → ’ → me
The only fines he has had previously are for illegal use of the helmet and low blocks. asserted
he → have → helmet
Juszczyk was fined $20,033 for illegal use of helmet in Week 1 and will be appealing that as well next week. asserted
Juszczyk → fin → that
He has made the Pro Bowl 10 times and was an All-Pro in 2023 and ‘25. asserted
He → make → 25
___ AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP freelancer Jay Morrison contributed to this story ___ asserted
Maaddi → contribute → story
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