KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NFL on Friday fined Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce $11,025 for unsportsmanlike conduct from Week 13.
The monetary penalty surrounds Kelce’s obscene gesture, which was caught on national TV during NBC’s Sunday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and Chiefs game.
The second-year pro’s action came early in the fourth quarter after Broncos linebacker Von Miller was penalized for roughing the passer following a hit on quarterback Alex Smith.
Von Miller delivered the blow to Smith’s lower back area after Smith threw the football.
A TV camera was on referee Walt Coleman as he made the official announcement for the infraction when Kelce appeared next to Coleman making the gesture.
Kelce took to Twitter shortly after Sunday night’s game to explain his action, which was captured in a screen grab:
Screen grab of Travis Kelce’s tweet.
Kelce later deleted the tweet, but not before it was retweeted more than 1,000 times.
The NFL did not fine Miller for the roughing the passer penalty.
Kelce is normally present in the locker room during the week, but he was noticeably absent during the media access portion.
The Chiefs did not make Kelce available during Thursday’s open locker room session despite requests from various Chiefs beat writers to talk to him.
ROTATING DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Defensive end Allen Bailey will not play Sunday as he recovers from a concussion suffered in Week 13.
The Chiefs options to replace Bailey include Vance Walker and Kevin Vickerson.
“They’re all playing,” coach Andy Reid said Friday. “So they end up rotating in there, but they’ll all get a shot.”
Walker has appeared in 12 games this season, recording eight tackles (seven solo) and 1 ½ sacks.
Vickerson has appeared in 11 games, recording eight tackles (six solo).
CARDINALS RUNNING GAME
The Cardinals enter Week 14 with the 31st ranked running offense, averaging 74.8 yards rushing per game.
While the Chiefs have been vulnerable against the run, allowing 597 yards rushing in the last three games, the Cardinals will be without starting running back Andre Ellington, who has been ruled out with hip and foot injuries.
Arizona named second-year running back Stefan Taylor as the starter, Cardinals beat writer Kent Somers reports on Twitter.
The Cardinals signed veteran Michael Bush on Nov. 25, but waived him Friday, according to Friday’s NFL Transactions report.
The Cardinals in a corresponding move elevated running back Kerwynn Williams from the practice squad to the active roster, according to the transactions report.
