Last weekend, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk celebrated a touchdown over the Miami Dolphins by doing an end zone gesture that the NFL called an “imitation of chugging a beer” that “constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste.” The 14-year league veteran was fined $14,926.
Juszczyk, who goes by the nickname “Juice,” has in the past, according to The Athletic, pantomimed drinking from a juice box, including the insertion of a straw. A recent hand injury has limited his mobility for the signature gesture, however, which could be why the celebration wasn’t interpreted as being juice-related this time, the outlet reported.
An appeal hearing is set for this coming Tuesday.
Should he lose the appeal, however, Juszczyk still might not see his bank account balance drop.
Late on Thursday, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) entered the discussion with a four-panel Instagram post to its 53,900-plus followers that read ”Kyle Juszczyk, We’ll pay your fine. Yes, all $14,926 of it.”
It went on to note that while it might have been juice in the imaginary cup, “we believe enjoying your beverage of choice in celebration of a job well done is something worth doing. Not fining.”
The festival, run by the Brewers Association (BA), encouraged Juszczyk to slide into their DMs to make it happen.
BA members respond to the offer
The comment section on the Instagram post was mixed, with some offering virtual high fives and cheers for the marketing ploy to others questioning why the BA, a not-for-profit trade group, would bail out an NFL player who last year signed a two-year deal with the 49ers for $7.5 million.
Brooklyn’s Eckhart Beer Co. posted that they wanted their entry fee to the festival returned. “He can afford to pay his own damn fine,” the brewery wrote.
Others pointed to the overall state of the craft beer industry and how many are struggling, or how this could have been spun to support the BA members or small breweries.
“This is incredibly tone deaf,” posted Brandon Jones of Embrace the Funk in Tennessee. “Nearly $15k could make a real difference helping small breweries afford to participate in GABF. Using it to pay an NFL player’s fine is a pretty dumb message to send to the brewers who support the festival, pay the Association dues and keep on keeping on to survive. You’re showing all your members you’ve officially lost the plot.”
In response to several questions from All About Beer, BA President and CEO Bart Watson responded via email that he always “welcome member feedback and input on our programs and promotions.”
“When I was hired as CEO I talked with hundreds of member breweries about what they wanted to see out of the BA,” he wrote. “One of the resounding themes was “defend beer and push back on all this negativity around beverage alcohol.” So when we saw a national story framing drinking a beer as an “offensive demonstration” as opposed to joyful and celebratory, we saw an opportunity to push back in a lighthearted way. Beer is fun and celebratory!”
He also said that he instructed the social team get him a list of brewers and breweries who commented and will be reaching out to all of them in the hope they want to discuss more.
A time of change for the GABF
This is a transition year for the GABF. After more than two decades at the Colorado Convention Center, the BA announced it would leave the cavernous indoor space for Denver’s Levitt Pavilion, an outdoor park six miles to the south.
The pavilion, as previously reported, has a capacity of 6,500 people, according to its website. Even at a sell-out over the two sessions announced — Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11 from noon to 4 p.m. — that’s less than a quarter of what this festival once brought in during its heyday.
Saturday general admission tickets sold out in August. Sunday session tickets are still available for purchase.
“In terms of positive attention – this is by far the most liked post with the most impressions of this GABF cycle and I’m getting more positive feedback from members than negative,” Watson said in an email. “That’s not to diminish people who don’t think this hit the mark, and I’m looking forward to hearing more on that perspective and how we can continue to improve next time!”
Watson said that the association has not yet heard back from Juszczyk.
If the transaction happens, it would make for odd bedfellows.
This thanks to what Adam Schefter, the ESPN Senior NFL Insider, posted on X:
“49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk has celebrated touchdowns and first downs his entire NFL career in his own chugging way, an ode to his nickname “Juice”. This is the first time he has been fined. “And I don’t even drink beer!” he texted.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated from an original version to reflect comments from Brewers Association President and CEO Bart Watson.
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The post Beer or Juice? The Great American Beer Festival Offers to Pay NFL Millionaire’s Fine first appeared on All About Beer.