Drinking antics at football games have taken an interesting turn.
In the Raiders’ recent 33-30 defeat against the Bills, Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin joined in the fun by playfully borrowing a fan’s beer at Allegiant Stadium.
As he and some teammates approached the crowd behind the end zone, Hamlin seized a beer, struck a mock toast, and pretended to drink from it. Though he didn’t actually take a sip, the fan who lost their drink seemed to enjoy the moment, cheering him on with shouts of, “Hey, let’s go, Damar!”
Hamlin didn’t stop there; he made a move to snag another fan’s beer as well, keeping the playful vibe alive.
This incident comes on the heels of some NFL players—like Kyle Juszczyk of the San Francisco 49ers, Matt Goncalves of the Colts, and Jake Ferguson of the Cowboys—being suspended for similar beer celebrations last month. Juszczyk received the highest fine of $14,296 for his celebratory chugging.
He found out about his penalty from the league shortly after the game, with a letter that deemed his celebration “an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.” Interestingly, Juszczyk later mentioned, “I don’t even drink beer,” as he began to appeal the fine.
Given Hamlin’s playful actions, it’s possible he might face a fine in the same ballpark as Juszczyk’s.
As Buffalo led for most of the game, the victory didn’t come without tension. Tyler Bass had seemingly secured their win with a 38-yard field goal, pushing the score to 33-23 with just two minutes left on the clock.
However, the Raiders were not ready to concede. From their own 44-yard line, quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Tre Tucker, narrowing the gap.
Las Vegas then attempted an onside kick, but the Bills managed to recover and maintained possession, running out the game clock.
Hamlin wrapped up the game with five tackles, three of which were solo efforts.
