After a hard day's work, sometimes you just need to crack open a cold one -- especially if it's a hard day's work on a Sunday. For most, maybe that day of work is mowing the lawn, doing a whole lot of house chores or fighting the holiday swarm to knock some names off your Christmas list.
But for Marcus Peters, his hard day's work last Sunday was helping the Ravens beat the Bills. After breaking up a late fourth-down pass that essentially sealed a win for Baltimore, Peters celebrated by hopping into the stands at New Era Field in Buffalo and pouring a beer in the general vicinity of his mouth immediately after the play.
Marcus Peters literally shotgunned a beer after making the crucial 4th down stop.
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 9, 2019
(via @Ravens) pic.twitter.com/gQeVcm1kU4
The game wasn't yet over, at least not officially, so the NFL took exception to Peters' boozy celebration. The league announced on Saturday that the Baltimore cornerback had been fined over $14,000 for the antics, which fell under the specification of "unsportsmanlike conduct."
#Ravens CB Marcus Peters was fined $14,037 for unsportsmanlike conduct — drinking a beer with fans to celebrate his win-sealing pass breakup against the #Bills. 🍺 🍺 🍻
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 14, 2019
Personally, I think drinking a celebratory beer after helping your team clinch a playoff spot is very sporting, and I think Peters should be celebrated for being a man of the people and enjoying a cold one with fans who came out to support the team.
And while that seems like quite the price to pay for one beer, it's actually not that far off from what most concession stands at NFL stadiums charge these days. Luckily, Peters didn't seem overly concerned with the fine.
🍻🍺🍻🍺🍺🍻🍻
— Marcus Peters (@marcuspeters) December 14, 2019
Bud Light agrees that a celebratory beer "isn't a crime" and offered to donate $14,000 to a charity of Peters' choice.
Drinking a celebratory beer isn’t a crime. We’ll match that tab with a donation to a charity on your behalf @marcuspeters. DM us. https://t.co/Ctjthf9iEF
— Bud Light (@budlight) December 14, 2019
My only piece of advice would be that if you're going to pay $14,000 for a beer, you may as well get more out of it than Peters did. Sip it, don't drip it.