Tomorrow night the Carolina Panthers will have their first chance in years to make a statement in a prime-time game and prove that they belong in the NFL.
Before the opportunity comes, the league office has at least one more humiliation ritual for the Panthers to get through.
Observe the "violent gesture" from Carolina's star rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan that earned him a fine of $14,491 from the league yesterday.
Panthers rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan fined $14,491 for what NFL deemed a violent gesture after his 39-yard catch late in the 1H vs. Falcons. pic.twitter.com/v3Mqt4DGWl
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 22, 2025
Yes, pointing your fingers in the same general direction for a split second is about as violent as it gets. Shouldn't McMillan have been thinking of the children?
As far as we're concerned this is a new low by the NFL, whose penalties and fines have always been capricious. To fine McMillan for what he did feels straight up dishonest, though.
The NFL is what it is though, and there's no point in preaching to the devil.
If there's a silver lining maybe the fine will motivate McMillan, who's coming off a career-best 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons. A similar line against the San Francisco 49ers would go a long way towards an upset. The Panthers are seven-point underdogs, according to the latest odds.
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