It’s been said that not all publicity is good publicity, and in the case of Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, that saying, unfortunately, rang true on the heels of his memorable touchdown celebration against the Jets in Week 13.
Mattison went viral last Sunday after he scored a touchdown in the second quarter to give the Vikings a 10–3 lead. As the 24-year-old collected himself in the end zone, he suddenly feigned a right hamstring injury, dropped down on all fours and broke out a quick, celebratory twerk before re-joining his teammates.
While the video of Mattison’s hilarious celly blew up on social media, the attention wasn’t entirely well received. The NFL announced Friday Mattison received a $6,503 for the viral celebration, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
News of the fine soon made its way back to Mattison, who took to Twitter to share his disbelief in the league’s decision.
“They share it like crazy.. then fine you like crazy smh,” Mattison tweeted along with two laughing emojis.
He followed the tweet with another 25 minutes later that read: “And I just wanna know who sits there and comes up with these random number amounts for fines.”
Clearly, Mattison, who tweeted on Sunday that he drew inspiration from a viral video of Lo’eau LaBonta of the NWSL’s K.C. Current from earlier this year, is trying his best to take it all in stride. But, then again, no one would probably blame him if he decided to keep future celebration ideas to himself for the rest of the season.
