The National Football League (NFL) has fined Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters $14,037 for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after he enjoyed a celebratory beer with fans during a game.
On Sunday Dec. 8, Baltimore led the Buffalo Bills 24-17 with just over a minute left on the clock at Buffalo’s New Era Field. After knocking down quarterback Josh Allen’s fourth-down pass — essentially sealing a playoff spot for his team — Peters jumped into a section of the stand filled with Ravens fans.
Lying back in their arms, he shotgunned a can of beer in celebration of the play. The NFL slapped Peters with the fine the following day, ESPN reports.
It’s an expensive beer even by a professional football player’s standards, but Peters’ reaction on Twitter suggests he wasn’t too bothered by the five-figure fine.
🍻🍺🍻🍺🍺🍻🍻
— Marcus Peters (@marcuspeters) December 14, 2019
Shortly after news of the fine surfaced, Peters posted a tweet containing seven beer emojis. The story then took an unexpected twist when Anheuser-Busch-owned Bud Light shared Peters’ tweet and reached out to the cornerback to let him know that “drinking a celebratory beer is not a crime.” The beer brand told him it would make a charitable donation on his behalf to the tune of $14,037.
Drinking a celebratory beer isn’t a crime. We’ll match that tab with a donation to a charity on your behalf @marcuspeters. DM us. https://t.co/Ctjthf9iEF
— Bud Light (@budlight) December 14, 2019