Travis Kelce’s powers may be waning as he’s approaching the end of his career but he’s still good enough to be the Chiefs top receiver. On Christmas, he scored just his third TD of the season. However, that TD took him ahead of everyone in the pack, overtaking the Hall of Famer and former Chiefs TE, Tony Gonzalez, as the franchise’ receiving touchdown leader. He celebrated the accomplishment in a special way.
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As a tribute to Gonzalez, Travis dunked over the crossbars of the field goal, mimicking Tony G’s iconic celebration. The play immediately invited a flag and the NFL fined him $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (use of prop).
Fans flooded social media with reactions to the NFL penalizing Travis Kelce for paying tribute to Gonzalez. One fan noted that the $14,000 fine was a small price to pay for Kelce, whose podcast is already worth millions. Others criticized the NFL, calling it the “No Fun League” and accusing it of being overly strict with excessive penalties.
However, many applauded Kelce for honoring a legend like Gonzalez, calling the tribute a fitting nod to one of the greatest of all time.
Kelce’s podcast is worth millions already. This is a $14k investment which will X many times over.
— MC (@Masonch31178202) January 4, 2025
Another chimed in and added,
No Fun League
— Hempstead Tires (@HempsteadTirez) January 4, 2025
A user commented,
No fun league strikes again.
— TMNKGardens (@TMNKGardens) January 4, 2025
Others said,
Lol the league is so soft with these fines. 14k for dunking over the crossbar. What a joke.
Glad to see that he did it to honor a great like Gonzalez
— Traf (@trafridrod) January 4, 2025
It seems Kelce won’t have to cover the fine alone, as Gonzalez had already agreed to pitch in—even before the three-time Super Bowl champion broke the record.
In fact, Tony had promised that if Kelce broke his record and celebrated by dunking the ball over the crossbar, he would gladly pay the fine himself. Gonzalez expressed his pride in watching Kelce grow both as a player and a person, acknowledging him as one of the best to play the tight end position.
Tony Gonzalez – “If he dunks it, I will pay that fine.”
One to another pic.twitter.com/9pgmkpFNfc https://t.co/a1bHXk9o0t— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) January 4, 2025
Kelce’s performance may have dipped over the past couple of years, but he remains a crucial part of the Chiefs’ offense, consistently delivering in key moments. With the playoffs approaching and the defending champions aiming for a historic three-peat, the Chiefs will need Kelce to bring his A-game—and he’s likely to rise to the occasion when it matters most.
