The NFL fined Houston Texans player Kris Boyd $8,000 after he pushed his special teams coordinator on the sidelines last weekend.
The incident took place in the first quarter of Houston’s playoff loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead. Boyd was seen ripping off his helmet, rushing to the sidelines, and nearly knocking over special teams coach Ross.
This act upset many fans, with some calling for Boyd to be cut from the team. While Boyd wasn’t released, the NFL handed down a fine for his unsportsmanlike conduct.
NFL reporter Tom Pelissero shared on Twitter that Boyd was fined $8,056 for the incident. After the game, Boyd posted on his Instagram Stories, revealing he had been receiving racist messages “every second” since the incident.
He shared a screenshot of a message with a racial slur and added that it wasn’t a one-time thing.
“This been every second since last night up to today… Not looking for sincerity. God got me…” he wrote. Boyd shared his belief that “the world is wicked,” but he would continue to spread love and light, adding two praying emojis.
The incident occurred shortly after the game began, following a 63-yard kickoff return. Boyd tossed his helmet in apparent celebration for forcing a fumble on Nikko Remigio, but the ball was actually recovered by the Chiefs.
Kris Boyd cheers after the game of an NFL football matchupThis led to a 15-yard penalty against the Texans. Boyd then shoved coach Ross after being scolded by him. Boyd continued yelling at Ross, who tried to calm him down by placing his hand on Boyd’s chest.
Despite the Chiefs getting a good starting position at the 13-yard line, they were held to a field goal.
After the Texans lost 23-14, Boyd said he got “too excited” and admitted his actions were wrong. “I did something I shouldn’t have,” he said, adding that he was learning from the experience.
He apologized, stating, “I love Frank” – referring to coach Ross – and emphasized that the response wasn’t typical of him. “I love everybody here. I love my coaches. I never disrespect anybody. I apologized to everybody. [Ross] told me ‘Don’t worry about that.'”
Following the game and the Texans’ season-ending loss, head coach DeMeco Ryans said he didn’t see Boyd’s shove but called it “silly.” “What I saw is we can’t come out on the first play and throw our helmet,” Ryans said. “That’s not what we teach. That’s not what we’re about at all.
It just puts the team in a negative light. To start the game, we give them a big return, we take our helmet off to add 15 more yards into the play, which is not smart football.”
