San Francisco 49ers star Kyle Juszczyk was helped off the field after sustaining a gruesome injury.
In the fullback’s Sunday, October 4, game against the Denver Broncos, Juszczyk, 35, was running when he was tackled and appeared to spin sideways before landing on his back.
Juszczyk remained on the ground as he was surrounded by several of his teammates and while medics came to his aid. He was then helped off the field by trainers as the game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, continued.
“Kyle Juszczyk has been ruled out with a knee injury,” the broadcast later stated on Sunday, confirming the star wouldn’t return to the gridiron.
No further details about Juszczyk’s injury were revealed at the time of publication. Juszczyk’s injury comes on the heels of some controversy for an on-field celebration last month.
At the time, Juszczyk was issued a $14,926 fine when he did an “imitation of chugging beer” during the 49ers’ win against the Miami Dolphins. The NFL noted that “players are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the game and is consistent with NFL standards of sportsmanship.”
Juszczyk, who is nicknamed Juice, claimed he was imitating drinking juice and texted NFL insider Adam Schefter, “I don’t even drink beer!” Juszczyk officially appealed the fine and later clarified that he drinks beer “like five times a year in the offseason” because his teammate George Kittle “peer pressures me.”
“I don’t know how else to say it,” he said while holding a summit with reporters after practice in September to address the fine. “I wasn’t drinking beer in my celebration. I think you guys all know my nickname is Juice. I have ‘Juice’ on my pads. The stadium yells ‘Juice’ when I catch the ball. When I celebrate, I celebrate by drinking juice, and it’s been that way for years. I was as surprised as anybody when I got a fine.”
Kittle, for his part, found humor in the situation — and a new moniker for his teammate and pal.
“Juice’s new nickname is ‘Beer’ now,” Kittle, 32, quipped at the time. “That’s his new thing. As a team, we voted on that today.”
Former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce, meanwhile, publicly urged Juszczyk to fight back against the fine.
“Juszczyk should threaten to counter sue for defamation,” Kelce, 38, wrote via X in September. “How dare the NFL allege false accusations. No way they can prove he was chugging alcohol. He was chugging that ‘juice.’”
