When the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl back in February, Jalyx Hunt got hit with a hefty fine for using a bow-and-arrow celebration in the game. As it turns out, Hunt might want to ask for his money back, because it looks like the NFL won’t be flagging players for that specific celebration anymore.
During a rules session with the media on Thursday, NFL referee Land Clark said that the league won’t be looking to punish players who do the bow-and-arrow celebration. Clark did note that the NFL will continue to crack down on violent gestures, so players will still be penalized for any celebration that involves “guns, knives or weapons,” but the bow and arrow will be allowed.
So why is the bow and arrow being permitted? Because the league has decided to look at it as a “Cupid’s Arrow” celebration, which definitely sounds harmless. Travis Kelce has historically used the pose during pregame introductions and he has generally referred to it as the ‘archer pose,’ so could be the term that eventually gets used for the celebration, but either way, the league isn’t viewing it as a “bow and arrow.”
Although Hunt didn’t get penalized in the Super Bowl for his bow-and-arrow celebration — he only got fined — there were players who did get flagged in 2024. Back in Week 4, Washington Commanders running back Jeremy McNichols got penalized 15 yards for breaking out the bow-and-arrow celebration after scoring a touchdown in a 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
McNichols was also hit with a $6,250 fine.
On Hunt’s end, he was hit with a $5,690 fine for using the bow and arrow in a celebration after sacking Patrick Mahomes during Philadelphia’s 40-22 Super Bowl win over Kansas City.
Although the ‘archer pose’ is now permitted, there is one exception to this rule: Players could still be flagged if they aim their imaginary bow and arrow at an opponent.
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