Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy was penalized after a first-quarter end zone celebration that had fans scratching their heads.
Kansas City star QB Pat Mahomes found Worthy, and Worthy scored in the end zone to give the Chiefs a 6-0 lead. After the play, Worthy and fellow Chiefs receiver Hollywood Brown held a Christmas-themed celebration, with Worthy stuffing presents into Brown's “bag.”
So far, so good.
Worthy then lifted the side of his jersey and the referee threw a flag.
Some X users believed that Worthy was flagged for celebrating a “gift in the bag.” But the umpire clearly reached for the flag after the receiver lifted his jersey, not before.
So what is given?
A leading theory is that Worthy's jersey-lifting action was intended to mimic the action of exposing a gun, which drew the flag. If so, the NFL's crackdown on gun-related celebrations is forcing players to stage celebrations even more threatening than the ones they originally sought to eliminate.
An innocent finger-gun celebration would have offended no one and life would have gone on. Currently, players rely on mimicking concealed weapon possession.
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