Pittsburgh Steelers

Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy flagged for ‘violent gesture’ during touchdown celebration against Steelers

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For the second time this season, Kansas City Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy has found himself in trouble with the NFL for referencing firearms in an on-field celebrations.

The former Texas Longhorns wide receiver caught the opening touchdown of Wednesday’s Christmas Day doubleheader on Netflix. But after taking the seven-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to the pylon to give the Chiefs an early 6-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he and teammate Hollywood Brown began an elaborate Christmas-themed touchdown celebration.

At first glance, it looked like the receivers were mimicking Santa by pantomiming the process of putting presents in a giant sack. But when that was done, Worthy lifted his shirt to expose his waistband as if he were an armed robber.

Officials caught the act and penalized the Chiefs 15 yards on the extra point, which was, consequently, missed by Harrison Butker.

Netflix’s announcers joked that Worthy was pretending to have a ‘Super Soaker’ squirt gun instead of an imaginary firearm.

But as Worthy already knows, the league has a rule for ‘violent gestures’ in celebrations, and that most certainly includes any gun references. Worthy was fined $11,255 in September for pointing finger guns at Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell, and several other NFL stars have faced similar penalties this season.

Falcons receiver Drake London regretted the gun-themed celebration he against the Eagles back in September.

After reeling in a seven-yard pass from Kirk Cousins, London pretended to shoot a gun into the stands at Lincoln Financial Field – which earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and made it so Younghoe Koo’s game-winning extra point was a 48-yarder.

Speaking to ESPN back at the Falcons’ facility, London admitted he ‘kind of lost myself’ in the moment and will likely be retiring the celebration.

‘It’s a trend around football right now to do that type of celebration,’ London said.

He continued, ‘There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there. So, I’m not too happy with it, and [you] probably won’t see that again from me.’

London’s crass celebration came after the Falcons hosted high school athletes from Apalachee High School – where four people were fatally shot earlier this month.

Head coach Raheem Morris said his team is ‘sensitive’ to the issue of gun violence but admitted that London should not have done the celebration.

A day prior on Tuesday, he claimed in a press conference that London was ‘probably shooting T-shirts into the stands… because he’s just that kind of a guy.’

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