The primary aim of any NFL team stepping out onto the field is to win, just like any other competitive sport. But what about when winning isn’t enough? Maybe it’s been a while since their last victory, or the critical opinions on social media have struck a nerve – sometimes players decide to bask in their triumphs at their rival’s expense.
But which NFL teams and players really like to rub salt in the fresh wounds? On this sporting note, the research team at Gambling.com decided to rank the NFL’s Biggest Gloaters – by analyzing how much each team has been fined for ‘excessive celebration’ since 2002. A total of 119 fines have been issued for this misdemeanor in a little over the past two decades.
TOP 10: NFL’s Biggest Gloaters
The New Orleans Saints have been fined the most money for excessive celebration since 2002, across the entire NFL. Their 8 fines have cost them $138,773 in total, which on average works out at around $17k per indiscretion. All 8 fines have been issued to different players, with Michael Thomas (Week 9/2018) and Jimmy Graham (Preseason/2014) forced to part with $30k apiece .
In 2nd are the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their total of $138,133 isn’t far off the leader, and is the result of 12 different fines – the most issued to any NFL team. Antonio Brown is the top perpetrator for the Steelers, having fallen foul of the rulebook on four occasions. He has also received the largest fines of any player from the franchise – having been hit with $24,309 deductions twice.
Slightly further back in 3rd are the Dallas Cowboys, with 11 fines that have cost them $106,618 overall. Their financial penalties have stemmed from 10 different players, with Ezekiel Elliot the only repeat offender.
The Seattle Seahawks ($105,146) and Tennessee Titans ($69,254) are in 4th & 5th place, respectively. The Seahawks 9 fines have come from only 6 players – with D.K. Metcalf, Michael Bennett and Marshawn Lynch all penalized for ‘excessive celebration’ twice. While the Titans 9 fines have all been courtesy of different players.
TOP 10: NFL’s Most Gracious Winners
At the other end of the scale – three NFL teams are the most gracious in victory, having picked up no fines for ‘excessive celebration’ since 2002. These teams are the Houston Texans, LA Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.
Six NFL teams have only stepped out of line once in this respect, with a single fine each – all of which had varying financial penalties. These franchises are the New York Jets ($7,875), LA Rams ($8,681), New England Patriots ($10,000), Chicago Bears ($10,026), Arizona Cardinals ($12,154) & Atlanta Falcons ($13,369).
