Bengals cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III has been fined $5,555 for coming off the bench to celebrate an interception during Cincinnati's 23-20 loss to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Hargreaves, who was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, ran off the sideline following Jessie Bates III's interception of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford near the end of the first half.
The penalty moved the ball from the Bengals' 20 to their own 10-yard-line with two minutes left in the half. While Cincinnati picked up those yards on its first plays of the drive, it was ultimately forced to punt after Joe Burrow was sacked on a third-and-8 play with under a minute left until intermission.
"A lack of discipline," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Hargreaves' celebration.
The 11th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Hargreaves spent three-plus seasons in Tampa before he was released by the Buccaneers midway through the 2019 season. He was claimed off waivers by the Texans, where he remained through the 2020 season and into the 2021 campaign. Hargreaves was claimed off waivers by the Bengals this season after he was waived by Houston after eight games and five starts.
Hargreaves made one start during his four regular season games with the Bengals this past season. He was inactive during Super Bowl LVI.
