NFL fines Bengals player who ran onto field during Super Bowl 2022 in flip flops
The Cincinnati Bengals were defeated in the Super Bowl last weekend by the Los Angeles Rams, losing 23-20 in a close game that went down to the final few plays. It was the Cincinnati's first appearance in the Super Bowl in 33 years since their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in 1989.
For all the players on the Bengals roster, this would have been a crushing feeling to come up short on the NFL's biggest stage. However, a certain defensive back was hit with one of the strangest fines the league has ever seen.
The NFL fined #Bengals DB Vernon Hargreaves $5,555 after he was flagged for coming off the bench in street clothes to celebrate at the 2-minute warning following DB Jessie Bates’ interception in the end zone in Super Bowl LVI.
Cincinnati cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, who was inactive for Super Bowl LVI, was fined $5,555 and penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for coming off the bench to celebrate an interception near the end of the first half .
In the video below, Hargreaves can be seen running onto the field into the endzone in training gear and flip flops to celebrate with his teammates following Jessie Bates' interception. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor described it as a lack of discipline.
The first penalty on the #Bengals all game? Vernon Hargreaves coming off the bench after the Jessie Bates INT
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https://t.co/xZ4qPB4JvV
Is the fine for Bengals' Vernon Hargreaves one of the strangest in the NFL?
As far as fines from the NFL go, this is in line with the league's policy, and Hargreaves definitely shouldn't have entered the field of play to celebrate with his teammates. Yes, it was the Super Bowl and you can maybe forgive him for getting carried away, but ultimately it was against the rules.
The Bengals defensive back wasn't the only one to be hit with a fine for something like this. Back in 2012, Frank Gore was fined twice for a uniform-related incident, though he was active and playing at the time, unlike Hargreaves.
What specifically was Gore fined for, you might wonder. The answer: he was fined $15,000 for wearing his socks too low.
Along with Gore, wide receiver Brandon Marshall received a fine for a uniform-related violation. He wore bright green Nike cleats in Week 6 of the 2013 NFL season to bring attention to borderline personality disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2011. The league's response to this was to fine him $10,500.
It seems strange that the league would have rules against uniform violations in the case of Gore and Marshall, one of which was probably doing it out of comfort and the other was raising awareness around a mental health issue.
However, coming onto the field in flip flops to celebrate an interception in the Super Bowl probably warrants a fine from the NFL.