After Nate Burleson scored his first touchdown as a Lion last Sunday, he celebrated the feat by punting the ball into the stands. The celebration got him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and now a $15,000 fine from the NFL. The fine also stems from the fact that Burleson lifted up his jersey during the pregame introductions to reveal a shirt that said "What up Doe?" (Detroit slang) on it.
↵Burleson was just having some fun after missing a few weeks because of a high ankle sprain. Jim Schwartz didn't have a big problem with the celebration and was seen smiling on the sideline afterward, but Burleson made sure to apologize anyway.
↵↵↵"It was spontaneous; I didn't plan it," he said. "I was very apologetic afterward. I ran over to the head coach, to the offensive coordinator, to the special teams coach and to the special teams guys apologizing for putting them in that position."
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It's pretty interesting to note that Louis Delmas was fined one-third of this amount by the Lions for flipping someone off during the Vikings game. The NFL didn't step in and fine him since the Lions handled it, but it's pretty dumb that a celebration and a shirt get you a much bigger fine than flipping someone the bird. Just another reason people call it the "No Fun League," I guess.