George Kittle fined for vulgar message he displayed on his shirt
Oct 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is not the only one who was bothered by the message George Kittle displayed on his undershirt during Sunday night’s game.
Kittle caught three touchdowns to help the San Francisco 49ers dominate the Cowboys 42-10. After one of the scores, the star tight end lifted up his jersey and showed the crowd a shirt that had “F— DALLAS” (edited by LBS for profanity) written across it.
On Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the NFL fined Kittle $13,699 for “use of abusive language” on the shirt.
The NFL has fined 49ers TE George Kittle $13,699 for use of abusive language for his profane Dallas T-shirt displayed after a touchdown last week, per source. (Photo via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/4YOlgONojm
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 13, 2023
Kittle knew the fine was coming. The NFL has a rule banning players from wearing shirts that display personal messages. Kittle’s message was both personal and vulgar, so it is hardly a surprise that he was disciplined. He made his thoughts on the impending fine very clear earlier in the week.
The shirt, while insulting to the Cowboys, was a tribute to former 49ers linebacker Gary Plummer, who wore the same undershirt when San Francisco defeated Dallas in the 1994 NFC Championship Game.
Parsons said on his podcast this week that Kittle made it “way more personal than it had to be” by wearing the shirt and that the Cowboys would get revenge at a later date. One of Kittle’s teammates fired back by issuing a warning to Parsons.