A lot happened in the Cleveland Browns’ season-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and while the team may have fallen one point short, there were a lot of positive developments for this long-suffering fanbase to get excited about.
While the defense held Cincy’s high-octane offense to just seven yards in the second half and multiple rookies on both sides of the ball put forth encouraging performances, lost in it all was a taunting incident that has now resulted in a fine for a certain No. 1 wide receiver.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi shared on X that receiver Jerry Jeudy was fined $11,593 for taunting in the first quarter against Cincinnati when Cam Taylor-Britt committed a pass interference penalty on a third-and-3, which encouraged Jeudy to clap excitedly in Taylor-Britt’s general direction.
Browns WR Jerry Jeudy was fined $11,593 for taunting in the first quarter of Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to the Bengals on this play pic.twitter.com/i0SASEKWar
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 13, 2025
The NFL was adamant over the summer that it was going to place a higher priority on sportsmanship this season, and that includes taking a stronger stance on taunting.
Jeudy was one of five players to be fined for taunting in Week 1, so it’s clear that the NFL is staying true to its word.
Jeudy didn’t receive a flag on the play, and many might disagree that he deserves to be fined for showing emotion during a big play in a divisional game, but this is the reality we live in.
If he hadn’t clapped in Taylor-Britt’s general direction, his bank account probably wouldn’t be $11,593 lighter, but hopefully, this is just water under the bridge and gives Jeudy a little edge heading into a crucial Week 2 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
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