Travis Kelce fine, explained: Why Chiefs star TE must pay $11K for AFC championship game taunt

Travis Kelce fine, explained: Why Chiefs star TE must pay $11K for AFC championship game taunt

The Chiefs took control of the 2024 AFC championship game in the second quarter, reaching the endzone on back-to-back drives to flip a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead over the Bills.

The Chiefs went on to defeat the Bills 32-29 to advance to their third-straight Super Bowl. They celebrated their win before beginning preparation for the big game, but nearly a week later, the NFL handed out fines to Travis Kelce and Bills defensive lineman Jordan Phillips after a second-quarter scuffle.

Here’s a look at what happened in the AFC championship.

Travis Kelce fine, explained
As Patrick Mahomes scampered his way into the endzone to make the score 20-10, Kelce and Damar Hamlin clashed helmets leading Phillips to interject.

Kelce had some words for his opponents and Phillips did not take kindly to the trash talk. The lineman drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on Phillips. Kelce was not penalized.

Six days later, both players were hit with fines. Kelce was fined $11,255 for taunting and Phillips was fined $6,722 for unnecessary roughness for the use of his helmet.

Why Kelce was fined significantly more but not penalized is unclear. It is possible the penalty was factored into Phillips’ fine.

When was Travis Kelce last fined?
The Chiefs’ tight end was tagged with an even larger fine in December.

Fined $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct (use of prop), Kelce dunked over the crossbar in tribute to Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez after breaking his franchise TD record.

Gonzalez thanked Kelce for the recognition and said he would pay his fine. Instead of paying for the fine, Kelce had him direct that money toward his charity, the Eighty-Seven and Running Foundation — a nonprofit empowering disadvantaged youth.