Vernon Hargreaves fined $5,555 for Super Bowl taunting penalty in street clothes
It's never good when you cost your team yardage by going onto the field in street clothes to celebrate an interception.
But to do it in the Super Bowl?
Defensive back Vernon Hargreaves joined his teammates in doing "The Griddy" after Bengals safety Jessie Bates' pick of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford near the end of the first half.
Adding insult to injury, NBC's Al Michaels called out Hargreaves - among the Bengals' inactive players for the game - and added, "He may be inactive for a while after this scene."
And to make matters worse, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Saturday via Twitter that the league fined Hargreaves $5,555.
A taunting penalty gave the Bengals the ball at their own 10 instead of the 20. (It's a 15-yard penalty, but at the 20, it's "half the distance.")
Social media reactions at the time of the infraction:
The Bengals were called for a "Taunting Penalty" after Vernon Hargreaves, who is inactive for the game, ran on to the field. pic.twitter.com/RLNIkYMgvN
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 14, 2022
Vernon Hargreaves III is inactive for the Super Bowl but was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty celebrating after a Bengals INT. pic.twitter.com/qNJGJ4z0uo
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2022
Vernon Hargreaves has a PFF grade under 50 this year, and if you thought that wasn't gonna get worse just because he was inactive for the Super Bowl...
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) February 14, 2022
The first penalty on the #Bengals all game? Vernon Hargreaves coming off the bench after the Jessie Bates INT
🤦♂️pic.twitter.com/xZ4qPB4JvV— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 14, 2022
Just waiting for Vernon Hargreaves to join in the half time show #SuperBowlLVI #SuperBowl
— Patrick Lewis (@PatrickLewis123) February 14, 2022
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals' Hargreaves fined $5,555 for Super Bowl taunting penalty