Alright so I was scrollin’ through NFL news this mornin’ coffee in hand, right? Saw somethin’ wild ’bout Derek Carr gettin’ fined just ’cause he imitated Michael Jackson. Like, seriously? Gotta see what that fuss was ’bout.
What Actually Happened
First thing I did was jump straight into searchin’. Typed somethin’ like “Derek Carr MJ fine” into the browser. Boom – tons of headlines poppin’ up sayin’ he got whacked by the league office. Wanted the real details though, not just clickbait.
Found the clip eventually. It was right after Carr scored a touchdown for the Saints against the Patriots. Dude slid into the end zone, then busted out this… dance move? Held his crotch, tilted his hat down, one leg kinda kicked out. Pure MJ stuff.
Diggin’ for the Fine Amount
Okay, so why they fined him became clear fast – NFL’s got these “taunting” and “excessive celebration” rules tighter than a drum. But finding the exact dollar figure? That was like pullin’ teeth.
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Ran into two problems:
- Paywalls Everywhere: Clicked like three different sites hopin’ for a number, and boom – “Subscribe to read more.” Nah, not today.
- Vague Reporting: Lots of articles just said “significant fine” or “standard penalty.” Helpful, huh?
Started checking fan forums and Reddit threads. Someone mentioned it was likely the base fine for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Kept diggin’… finally pieced it together. Found a reliable source citing official league communications.
The Ugly Number
Turns out Derek Carr’s pocket got lighter by $10,927. Yep. That’s the exact number the league whacked him with for that single MJ moment. Standard first offense fine for that specific violation this season.
Struck me as kinda harsh. Player makes a fun, quick reference to the King of Pop after scoring, everyone cheers… and then bam! League drops a bill over ten grand. Felt like textbook NFL overkill, suckin’ the fun right outta the game. They ain’t subtle ’bout enforcing those celebration rules.
And that’s it. Went down a rabbit hole just to confirm what seemed bonkers at first glance – Carr paid nearly 11K for channelin’ MJ for like three seconds. Classic NFL takin’ itself way too seriously. That’s all the league will get outta him for that touchdown.
