Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy was hit with a penalty following his first quarter end zone celebration that has fans scratching their heads.
Kansas City star QB Pat Mahomes found Worthy, and Worthy found the end zone to put the Chiefs up 6-0. After the play, Worthy and fellow Chiefs receiver Hollywood Brown did a Christmas-themed celebration, with Worthy shoveling gifts into the “bag” held by Brown.
So far, so good.
Then, Worthy lifted the side of his jersey, and the referee threw a flag.
Xavier worthy gets unsportsmanlike conduct for this td celebration pic.twitter.com/Go4epiA7l3
— Christine 🩵✨ (@BringBackJills) December 25, 2024
Some X users believed Worthy was flagged for the “presents in the bag” celebration. However, the referee clearly reached for the flag after the receiver lifted his jersey, not before.
So, what gives?
The prevailing theory is that Worthy’s jersey lift was meant to mimic the motion of revealing a gun, and that is what drew the flag. If this is the case, the NFL’s crackdown on gun-related celebrations has now forced players into performing celebrations that are even more threatening than the original celebrations they were trying to eliminate.
An innocent finger-gun celebration would have offended no one, and life would have gone on. Now, players are resorting to mimicking the possession of a concealed weapon.
Good job, everyone.
