Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was fined $11,576 for a crotch-chop following a fourth-quarter touchdown on Sunday, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.
With just over two minutes remaining in the game, and up by three, the Cardinals sealed the 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks with a 40-yard rushing touchdown from Andre Ellington. As the team celebrated on the field and on the sideline, Palmer got a little too excited and decided to say "suck it" to their hosts, or at least that's how it looked on the field.
Palmer said on Thursday that it was a gesture directed at three of his friends who were sitting in the stands near the Cardinals' bench. Palmer said his friends were named Pup, Phil and Sugar Cane, according to ESPN.
"I had my buddies in the sideline, right four or five rows up," Palmer said. "I saw them pretty excited and [that] got me excited to see them excited."
It was a big win for the Cardinals, who now hold a three-game lead in the NFC West. The problem for Palmer was how he chose to show his excitement, with a crotch-chop in the middle of his celebration.
The league has a shown strict discourse for this kind of behavior. Last season, it was a member of the Seahawks who made headlines for his touchdown celebrations. Marshawn Lynch was first fined $11,050 for grabbing his crotch against the Cardinals, and then was hit with another $20,000 fine for his second offense in the NFC Championship.
This is the first time Palmer has been fined in his 12-year career.