NFL announces decision on punishment for Travis Kelce incident

The NFL has announced its final decision on punishment for the Colts player involved in a Travis Kelce incident during their Kansas City Chiefs game.

On Sunday, Nov. 22, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs was involved in an on-field incident in which Indianapolis Colts player Jawaan Taylor was whistled for a facemask penalty that took away a touchdown by Kelce during the team’s 23-20 win over the Colts.

Taylor wasn’t hit with a punishment at the time for the facemask penalty, because the penalty was eventually deemed to be a mistake, and there’s even video showing that contact didn’t happen. So, it was a bad call in the game, so some thought Taylor would be hit with a fine when the league rolled out their weekly fines on Saturday, Nov. 29.

What’s wild, of course, is that it was a mistake that cost the Chiefs real points. That penalty nullified what would have been a touchdown, and the Kansas City Chiefs had to settle for a field goal. At the time, the officials didn’t even review the penalty, because there was no “clear and obvious” evidence of Taylor not having made contact. So, it was a messy incident, all around.

NFL Makes a Decision on Colts Player in Kansas City Chiefs Game

Every week during the season, the NFL announces penalizes for players for actions taken during the previous week’s games. The NFL notes on their website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity” and that “the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.”

So, there were thoughts that Taylor would get hit with a punishment on Saturday, when the fines came out. But, it didn’t happen.

The NFL has officially released its report for Week 12, and Taylor wasn’t on the tally. The reason is simply because penalties that are ruled as incorrect by officials are not subject to fines. So, with this incident, the penalty was overturned because it was a mistake, so the NFL didn’t want to fine Taylor for it.

Two Kansas City Chiefs players were fined, though. One was Kingsley Suamataia, who was hit with a $8,108 fine for “unnecessary roughness” and a “blindside block,” and the other was to Trent McDuffie, who was given a $11,593 fine for “unnecessary roughness” and a “facemask” incident.

Kansas City Chiefs Players’ Fines Will Go to a Good Cause
According to the NFL, the funds raised from those fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”

Frankly, the lack of a fine on Taylor is the least of the Chiefs’ worries. The team has a 6-6 record for the first time in years, and they’re looking from the outside in at a shot at the playoffs.

“You’ve got to win every game now – and hope that’s enough,” Mahomes said postgame at his press conference. He added that even though the Chiefs are playing a lot of “good football teams coming up,” the team absolutely has to win out the rest of the season.