Bengals receiver A.J. Green jubilantly threw the ball into the stands after scoring a touchdown on Sunday. Unfortunately, the touchdown was called back on a penalty. And unfortunately, throwing the ball into the stands violates league policy.
The NFL has confirmed that Green was fined $5,787 for throwing the ball into the stands.
Under NFL rules, handing the ball to a fan is permitted, and players do that every Sunday without getting fined. But the NFL worries that throwing the ball into the stands could be a fan safety issue: Fans may run into each other while trying to catch the ball, start fighting over the ball, or even fall over a railing while reaching for a ball.
From that perspective, the rule makes sense. Even if it stinks for Green, who was just trying to give a fan a souvenir while he celebrated what he thought was a big play.
