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6d ago

NFL Fines Chargers' Teair Tart $12,172 for Slap on Chiefs' Travis Kelce

The penalty reflects the league's first-offense striking standard, renewing scrutiny of the open-hand versus punch ejection rule.

May 12, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart at press conference during offseason workouts at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/File photo
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Overview

  • ESPN reported the fine matches the NFL schedule for a first striking offense at $12,172, with formal league announcements typically arriving on Saturday.
  • The incident occurred in the third quarter of Los Angeles' 27-21 Week 1 win in São Paulo after Kelce shoved Tart, resulting in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.
  • Tart was not ejected because officials judged the contact to be open-handed, a threshold rules analyst Terry McAulay noted does not trigger disqualification.
  • Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters he was confused by the non-ejection and questioned the rule distinguishing an open hand from a punch.
  • After the game, Tart posted on Instagram, "I'm too swift with it even in Brazil," and ESPN reported his account was flooded with racist images; Spotrac lists a prior 2020 unsportsmanlike conduct fine as his only other penalty.