In the second quarter of a Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers, Tyreek Hill scored a 41-yard touchdown. Once in the endzone, he would spot a videographer with his phone out. Tyreek took the phone and did a backflip, celebrating the score that put the Dolphins ahead 20-14.
The celebration sparked a series of consequences.
First, the referees of the game would throw a flag on Tyreek, granting the Panthers offense 15 additional yards after the kickoff. That didn't phase Hill.
"I know the NFL's gonna fine me for it, but it's worth it, though. To be able to create memories I can look back on when I'm done is something I think of every time I play this game," he said after the game. However, Tyreek was not fined for this celebration, but what happens next is shocking.
Tyreek Hill's iconic backflip celebration sparked punitive results for young NFL employee
Kevin Fitzgibbons, the 20-year-old videographer whose phone Hill took, has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. His media credentials were stripped by the league for something Hill did. In a recent Tik-Tok, Fitzgibbons explains all.
Fitzgibbons explains through a passion for creating videos, he was able to create amazing opportunities for himself, ultimately culminating in being hired by the NFL and working with the Miami Dolphins. He became extremely close with Hill and got to watch him dominate with his new team. When Hill scored that touchdown in Week 6, he took Fitzgibbons' phone and did the celebration.
Out of excitement, Fitzgibbons jumped up and down and said he ran to the tunnel to send the video to the NFL social media team. After the game, he says the NFL said "Whether he knew about the celebration or not, he had to be disciplined." Fitzgibbons is now in jeopardy of losing his whole career because of a celebration.
The penalty appears outrageous, with Fitzgibbons paying the price for something a player on the field did.
