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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London has been fined by the NFL for actions during his team's Week Two comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving him with a considerably lighter wallet today.
Late in regulation, quarterback Kirk Cousins led a six-play scoring drive which culminated with the game-tying touchdown pass to London. His excitement was evident, as he celebrated by mockingly firing a rifle into the sky. He was immediately flagged for his actions, and the go-ahead extra point attempt was pushed back 15 yards.
Today, the league announced that London was fined a total of $14,069 for the celebration. Via Tom Pelissero:
The NFL fined #Falcons WR Drake London $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct/violent gesture — a gun-like celebration that drew a flag after his tying TD in Monday night’s win over the #Eagles. pic.twitter.com/8a1MDj4fDh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2024
Drake London regrets his celebration that resulted in his fine
Following the victory, London made it clear that he regrets his gun-style celebration and also noted that it made him appear insensitive to victims of gun violence around the world, something he wasn't intending to do.
“It's a trend around football right now to do that type of celebration,” London said via ESPN. “It was my first ‘Monday Night Football' game. I kind of lost myself in there. I wasn't happy with the position I put my team in.”
“There's a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don't think I should have displayed there,” London said. “So, I'm not too happy with it, and [you] probably won't see that again from me.”
Earlier in the week, the Falcons hosted student-athletes from Apalachee High School, located 25 miles from downtown Atlanta. The school had been impacted by a fatal shooting in early September that claimed the lives of two students.
According to Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Falcon had no ill intent but knows that he made an error in judgment.
“(It) was a celebration that you don't want to have happen because of the violence that goes on in our country that we're very sensitive of,” Morris said. “But he had no ill will and no intent. And that's a mistake by all of us, on all of our parts, to have those things come out in light of what's going on in our country, and not being sensitive to those situations that we definitely are.
We hosted the school that had the violence here, and we're really sensitive about all of those things and how those things happen for us. And we do care.”
London and the Falcons host the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
