TAMPA, Fla. — Bucs rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. reportedly has been fined for his peace-sign taunt at Tyreek Hill late in Super Bowl 55, payback for when the Chiefs receiver did the same to Winfield on the same field earlier in the season.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Saturday that Winfield has been fined $7,815 by the NFL.
Winfield was flagged for taunting with 4:06 to play last Sunday at Raymond James Stadium after breaking up a pass intended for Hill.
The gesture was payback for Hill flashing a peace sign at Winfield at the end of a 75-yard touchdown catch en route to embarrassing the Bucs for 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 Chiefs victory on Nov. 29. Hill was neither penalized nor fined.
“The taunting, it was just something I had to do,” Winfield said immediately after the Super Bowl.
“When we played them earlier (this season), Hill went off on us. He backflipped in front of my face and gave me the peace sign, so it was only right that I gave the peace sign back to him at this moment. It felt amazing to be able to do that.”
The fine is figurative coins under the sofa cushions compared to the Bucs’ per-player compensation for their playoff run. Tampa Bay earned $130,000 per player for winning the Super Bowl, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, and a total of $255,000 per player for its four-game postseason run.
