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NFL fines Chiefs' Travis Kelce for 'Foot Locker' blast against referee

Tom Pelissero
USA TODAY Sports

All the money Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is giving up in fines sure could buy a lot of shoes.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) was fined by the NFL for criticizing a referee after the team's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL docked Kelce $21,615, including $12,500 for a personal attack on an individual game official after last week's playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a person with knowledge of the fine told USA TODAY Sports on Friday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because those fines aren't made public.

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The target of Kelce's criticism was referee Carl Cheffers, whom Kelce told reporters "shouldn't even be able to work at (expletive) Foot Locker" after a holding penalty wiped out what would've been a tying two-point conversion by the Chiefs.

According to multiple reports, Cheffers will be the referee for Super Bowl LI next month in Houston.

The other $9,115 fine for Kelce was the result of his inexplicable decision to deck Steelers defensive back Ross Cockrell after a play.

This isn't Kelce's first costly run-in with officials.

In November, the NFL fined Kelce $24,309 for consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that led to his ejection — the first for something Kelce said to an official, and the second for taking a towel from his waistband and throwing it like a penalty flag in the direction of the official who had just penalized him.

In 2014, the NFL fined him $11,205 for making a dismissive, sexual gesture next to a referee who was announcing a penalty.

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