The player and the videographer said their celebration was spontaneous. But the NFL has suspended Kevin Fitzgibbons for his role in Tyreek Hill's selfie after the Miami wide receiver scored against the Carolina Panthers on Oct 15. Hill then took the photographer's cellphone from him and filmed himself doing a backflip, ESPN reports. Fitzgibbons, who shoots the Dolphins' home games on contract, jumped up and down in celebration before leaving the field to send the video to the league. The league suspended him. On Thursday, Hill said he'll cover Fitzgibbons' lost pay.
"I told him I was going to make sure that I do what's right and take care of you, make sure you're not out of a job," Hill said. "That's my guy." Fitzgibbons, a 20-year-old University of Miami student, has done personal photography for Hill, and the player said they'll keep working together, calling him "one of my best friends" in a post, per CNN. The Dolphins were assessed a 15-yard penalty at the time for using a prop during a celebration. Fitzgibbons included the flip in a video he posted, which was a TikTok and Instagram hit.
In it, the photographer said the league told him he was suspended for the rest of the season and "possibly for good." Fitzgibbons is still an NFL contractor, per CNN, and can be involved in off-the-field projects or do personal work for players. "They said regardless if I knew the celebration was coming or not, I still had to be disciplined and that I shouldn't have jumped on the sidelines after the play," he said. "One of the best moments of my life turned upside down in a matter of seconds." (More NFL stories.)
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