NFL swallows $15K fine against 49ers’ Kyle Juszczyk for pretending to chug beer on field

Star San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk appears to have some serious juice with the NFL. The NFL has rescinded the $14,926 fine it imposed on Juszczyk last month for “engaging in offensive demonstrations” by doing an “imitation of chugging a beer” during his team’s victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of the current season, a league spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The NFL backed off the fine after Juszczyk appealed the punishment and argued that he was actually pretending to drink his preferred beverage, namely juice, and that he has been doing that kind of celebration for years. NBC News has reached out to Juszczyk and the 49ers for comment on the NFL’s rescinding of the fine. When the NFL hit Juszczyk with the fine on Sept. 23, it said Juszczyk, a 10-time Pro Bowl fullback, violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of its rules against unsportsmanlike conduct. “Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the NFL wrote in its fine letter, ESPN first reported. Juszczyk, who is in his 14th year of pro football, confirmed online that he’d been fined. “Can’t make this stuff up,” he said on X. Later, in a meeting with reporters at the team’s practice facility in Santa Clara, California, Juszczyk, a 35-year-old Harvard graduate, sounded more amused than annoyed by the development. “I don’t know how else to say it: I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration,” he said. “I think you guys all know my nickname is ‘Juice.’ I have juice on my pads. The stadium yells ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball. When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been the way for years. So I was surprised as anybody when I got a fine this week.” Juszczyk said that when 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told him about the fine, he thought Shanahan “was just messing with me.” At least nobody is calling Juszczyk “The Juice.” That nickname belonged to San Francisco native O.J. Simpson, the NFL star and accused double murderer, whose initials stood for Orenthal James and is slang for “orange juice.” He died two years ago at age 76 of prostate cancer.