New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton was made to pay a $14,000 fine for making a finger gun gesture after he caught a 41-yard pass during their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Giants won that night, 29-20.
Meanwhile Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would also be seen doing the gesture to celebrate a rushing first down, but he didn’t get fined. The apparent double standard didn’t sit well with Slayton as he took to X to complain, sharing a fan’s comparison picture of him and Mahomes doing the same pose.
“It’s cool when they do it,” he said.
The New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy also posted on X in support of the wideout. “What is the difference between this and what {Slayton} did for [the] Giants? Other than this QB (Mahomes) is the face of the NFL?” Dunleavy asked, sharing a clip of Mahomes, doing the pose after a play.
However, Darius Slayton wasn’t the only one. Other wide receivers that have been penalized or fined due to the finger gun gesture include New York Jets’ Allen Lazard, Atlanta Falcons’ Drake London, and Indianapolis Colts’ Josh Downs.
Darius Slayton talks about his performance vs Seahawks
Darius Slayton completed a spectacular play on Sunday that made him pull out the finger guns, which in turn cost him a hefty fine. He dominated the Seahawks’ stacked secondary with 122 yards and a touchdown from eight catches. His biggest play of the day was the 41-yard catch.
In a normal setting, it would be rookie wideout Malik Nabers who would be tallying such numbers, but he was out nursing a concussion. Fortunately, the longest-tenured of the Giants’ wide receivers stepped up to cover his bases.
Talking about his performance, Slayton said, “Just trying to do my best to remember that. I definitely went the wrong way a time or two … but I was able to do decent today.”
Slayton then talked about the finger gun gesture, which his coach Brian Daboll said he was regretful over. “You know what’s funny is, when I got up, I knew that if you’re close to the guy, that’s when you get ’em. I purposely made sure there was nobody near, so I wasn’t pointing at anybody, just into nothing. No more points. If I do, it’ll be like this—just one finger.”
Coach Daboll, meanwhile, praised his wideout. “He’s very dependable, and he’s smart. He’s a great teammate. He’s always done whatever we’ve asked of him,” he said.
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