NFL Suspends Sideline Photographer After Viral Moment With Dolphins Star Receiver Tyreek Hill
By Brad Slager | 3:11 PM on November 30, 2023The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.


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A few weeks ago, during one NFL game, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a penalty while scoring a touchdown. As a play broke down, he scrambled and found a clear path to the end zone. On the way, he reached the three-yard line when an approaching defender had no chance of making contact, and Allen committed the sin of – pointing at the linebacker. This underscores the NFL’s often conflicting stance on celebrations and unsportsmanlike conduct on the field.

A defender can sack a quarterback and race around with wild gyrations to celebrate, but were he to simply stand up and look down at the fallen QB, that can earn a penalty. Players have been flagged for excessive end-zone celebrations, but also, teams are permitted to gather and conduct choreographed routines beneath the field goal. After an interception, it can be deemed an offense if a cornerback hands the stolen ball to the intended receiver, but the entire defense can race the length of the field and stage a party. To say the standard appears fluid is an understatement.

One of the differentiated details is when a player taunts the opposition, which we had to guess applied to Allen’s rather innocuous hand gesture. But if this were the case, then the question arises about one of the notable examples of the year that was seen from week six. Tyreek Hill, of the Miami Dolphins, is having an explosive season statistically, and one of his many touchdowns resulted in a fun dose of exuberance.

As he reached the back of the endzone, Hill encountered someone standing along the back wall, and he got ahold of the young man’s cell phone. As he began filming himself, Tyreek executed a clean backflip, the camera trained on him the whole time.

Despite the fact that no one from the Carolina Panthers was anywhere nearby, Hill was flagged on the play. It stands as one of the more amusing moments from this season, but there is a darker turn for his backflip selfie, as another punishment has been handed down. The phone belonged to 20-year-old Kevin Fitzgibbons, who is a photographer and was working that game as a credentialed NFL sideline videographer. It has been announced that Kevin's permissions were revoked by the league as a result of this event.

Fitzgibbons posted a Xitter entry that explains he has had his credentials pulled by the NFL for the balance of this season, and it is possible the punishment could be made permanent.
Brad Slager wrote

This has been confirmed by NBC Sports and other outlets. There are surely code of conduct stipulations that were violated leading to this decision, but league executives should be looking at this objectively. It is possible this was a preplanned action between Tyreek and Kevin, but not assured, given the need to have Hill score not only at that end of the field but that portion of the end zone where Kevin was positioned. Also, he did not rush to post this video on social media but instead sent it immediately to the NFL, which would seem the proper action.

But why is there a need to suspend Fitzgibbons considering the mitigating details? Hill was not fined, although some expected it to happen, so why is this punishment valid? ProFootballTalk suggests Hill received no further punishment because an NFL social account initially posted Kevin's footage online before taking that post down. But then that should also indicate the league regarded the footage as pertinent, at least initially. That means, at first, the league thought it was valid footage, then later altered its position, then decided to levy a punishment over content it originally approved.

It just serves as more conflicting positions held by what some have come to describe as the No Fun League.

This is ridiculous!
With all the over-the-top post turnover celebrations, and domestic abuse by their players,
the NFL has a problem with this?!?!?

Martha Careful;460872This is ridiculous!
With all the over-the-top post turnover celebrations, and domestic abuse by their players,
the NFL has a problem with this?!?!?

The NFL are control freaks...

Also, it's my understanding that they simply want WR Hill to stop standing out with his celebrations and as Hill has stated he's out a pause on his signature "deuces" (peace sign) ✌️ on his way to score.

Hill is simply attracting too much, non-football attention for the NFL (because they want it to be their idea and their control) and this kid is just collateral damage.


Plus, I'm pretty sure that was pre-planned and I'm assuming like most of my manual labor jobs, there is some rule stating that they aren't supposed to have their cellphone out during the game. And players aren't supposed to have cell phone either.

Also since 2020, Fitzgibbons has worked in a freelance capacity for Rosenhaus Sports Representation. And who's Hill's agent? Drew Rosenhaus.

They found a loophole around NFL rules and the NFL is pissed about it... so punishing everyone they can prove that was involved.

As we all know what the NFL stands for... the No Fun League.

Heck WR Hill has claimed he's been fined more than $100,000 for his refusal to wear socks.

Note: NFL denies that it was JUST for socks, but a number of random different things.

But NFL wasn't controlling Hill, and so they're punishing him and everyone they think might be working with him, that's what (I believe) this is really about.

Also to add to this, WR Hill is now saying he'll cover the kids salary and they've known each other and work together.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/tyreek-hill-will-cover-pay-for-photographer-suspended-by-nfl

Hill, who absolved Fitzgibbons of blame in his postgame interview in Week 6, said Thursday he and Fitzgibbons are longtime friends.

“Me and K-Fitz, we’ve got a long history together,” Hill said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. “The news is something that I already knew. I told him, ‘Don’t let this get to you. Just hold your head up. You’re still young. Continue to do what you love.’ Me and him are going to continue to work together.

“I told him I was going to cover his salary, whatever the NFL was going to pay him or whatever. I told him I was going to make sure that I do what’s right and take care of you, make sure you’re not out of a job. That’s my guy.”