NFL’s Official Beer Sponsor Offers to Buy Free Drinks With Nearly $40K in Fines the League Has Imposed on Kyle Juszczyk, Jake Ferguson and Others

The NFL’s crackdown on beer-themed touchdown celebrations has pulled San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Indianapolis Colts guard Matt Goncalves and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson into the same controversy. All three players were fined this week after the league interpreted their celebrations as imitations of drinking beer. Now, Bud Light, the NFL’s official beer sponsor, has jumped into the conversation with a response aimed directly at the combined cost of those penalties.

The three fines total $37,384, with Juszczyk receiving the largest penalty at $14,926, Goncalves being fined $8,847, and Ferguson receiving a $13,611 fine. Rather than ignore the situation, Bud Light used that exact figure for its response on social media, turning the league’s disciplinary action into a marketing moment.

“$37,384 in the jar … how many beers will that buy for everybody this weekend?” Bud Light wrote from its official account on X.

The post came shortly after Ferguson became the third player caught up in the league’s sudden enforcement of beverage-related celebrations. According to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, Ferguson was fined $13,611 for appearing to shotgun a beer after scoring against the Washington Commanders in Week 2. The NFL characterized the celebration as an imitation of shotgunning a beer and said it could reasonably be considered an “offensive demonstration” and in “poor taste.”

Juszczyk’s situation is slightly different because the 49ers fullback has long associated the celebration with his nickname, “Juice.” After catching a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, he again mimicked drinking from a container, but the NFL interpreted the gesture as chugging a beer. Juszczyk immediately disputed that reading and said he has performed the celebration for years without disciplinary issues.

“I don’t know how else to say it. I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration,” Juszczyk said. “I think you guys all know my nickname is Juice. I have Juice on my pads. The stadium yells ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball. When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been that way for years.”

The Colts’ Goncalves was penalized $8,847 for a different version of the same idea. After tight end Tyler Warren scored against the Kansas City Chiefs, Warren handed the ball to Goncalves, who mimed popping the top off a can and drinking from it. The NFL classified the celebration as simulating the consumption of beer and issued the fine.

The Bud Light response becomes more notable because the company is directly tied to the NFL. Bud Light is not just an outside brand reacting to the controversy. It officially identifies itself as the NFL’s Official Beer Sponsor, while Anheuser-Busch’s current NFL campaign says the brand has held that position for more than two decades. Its 2026 campaign also continues to put Bud Light into the league’s game-day culture.

With the three players now connected by the same type of penalty, the story has moved beyond one celebration or one fine. The bigger question is how the NFL will handle similar gestures going forward, particularly when players have different intentions behind them and the league has commercial relationships with beer brands.

The NFL’s Beer Sponsorship Creates an Awkward Contrast

The timing only made the situation more noticeable. Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins pointed out that the Cowboys’ own press conference backdrop in Rio de Janeiro, ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, was covered with Miller Lite logos. That was happening while Ferguson’s fine over his beer-themed celebration was being discussed.

Fans and media members were quick to point out the contradiction elsewhere too. WFAA reporter Mike Leslie summed up the absurdity plainly.

“So the NFL thinks Jake Ferguson and Kyle Juszczyk pretending to drink beer is ‘offensive’ and in ‘poor taste’… but 45 seconds after this touchdown celebration, they’ll cut to a commercial for Miller Lite,” Mike said.

That contradiction stands out even more given the NFL’s long-standing beer partnership. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, was reported to be paying about $250 million annually for Bud Light’s NFL rights under its earlier deal.

Meanwhile, Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are facing separate fines for their “People’s Elbow” celebration (collectively fined $89,556), adding to the growing criticism around the league’s treatment of player celebrations.

With Bud Light publicly joking about the fines and the players challenging the penalties, the debate over how the NFL handles beverage-themed celebrations is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

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