This was the explanation for the unsportsmanlike penalty on Chiefs’ Xavier Worthy
The Chiefs got six points on their opening drive in their Christmas Day game at Pittsburgh.
And that was all they got because the extra point was missed by kicker Harrison Butker.
To be fair to Butker, it was a long point-after try.
Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scored on a 7-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes, and his celebration afterward was deemed to be unsportsmanlike.
The penalty made Butker’s PAT a 48-yard attempt, and it was no good.
Take a look at the sequence for which Worthy drew the flag:
From that angle, the celebration seems benign. But Netflix showed a second angle and Worthy lifted his jersey.
That was what drew the flag. You can see it here.
Nate Burleson, one of the analysts for Netflix, noted that players can’t lift their jersey. As noted in the message above, that penalty was because it could mimic showing a gun.
That likely will result in a fine for Worthy. The NFL has made gun celebrations a point of emphasis this season.
“(The rule) has been in the books for years, and it hasn’t really surfaced … haven’t really noticed it that much until this year,” a league executive told CBS Sports in October. “Now it’s almost an epidemic of them.”
This story was originally published December 25, 2024 at 12:36 PM.
