Drake London now has a third reason to regret miming a machine gun after scoring the game-winning touchdown in “Monday Night Football.”
The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver was fined $14,069 for what the NFL called a “violent gesture” on Saturday.
London had already said he wished he hadn’t done the celebration, which came after he caught a 7-yard pass from Kirk Cousins in the final minute of a 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The gesture drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from the officials, which was significant given that the six points from London’s touchdown had only tied the game.
To take the lead, Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo then had to make a 48-yard PAT. Fortunately for London, he did.
Not only did London’s gesture cost the Falcons on the field, it was also a bad look given the context of what the team had done in the previous week.
Atlanta had hosted the football team from Georgia’s Apalachee High School on Friday, in the wake of a mass shooting at the school that killed two students and two teaches. London told reporters days later his celebration was insensitive given the amount of gun violence in the world and likely won’t do it again:
“It’s a trend around football right now to do that type of celebration,” London told 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.”
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris downplayed the intent of London’s celebration Wednesday, but did acknowledge it was a “mistake.”
The NFL still felt the need to send London another reminder his gesture was inappropriate, though the league has never been shy about docking five-figure amounts from its player’s paychecks with little oversight.
London will try to turn the page Sunday, when the Falcons face the Kansas City Chiefs in another primetime game on “Sunday Night Football.”