Beyoncé captivated fans on Wednesday during her halftime performance at the Christmas Day game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Grammy-winning artist made a dramatic entrance at Houston’s NRG Stadium, riding a horse, and performed tracks from her latest album, Cowboy Carter.
During the show, she was joined on stage by artists Shaboozey and Post Malone. As her performance neared its end, Beyoncé climbed onto a scaffold and was raised high above the field. She then made a finger-gun gesture with both hands as a “Bang” banner dropped behind her.
The crowd erupted in applause, and reactions on social media were largely positive. However, some NFL fans began to poke fun at the gesture, given the league’s strict stance on similar actions this season.
In recent weeks, several NFL players have faced penalties for using finger-gun gestures after touchdowns or first downs, as part of the league’s crackdown on celebrations involving violent imagery. NFL officials have flagged such actions, which they say send the wrong message.
Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president, addressed the issue during an October league meeting, according to NFL Network.
“There’s no place in professional football for that,” Vincent said. “Think about where we are as a society. … This is not the message we want to send. We have a responsibility as professional athletes.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also weighed in, emphasizing the league’s long-standing policy against violent gestures.
“It’s a long-standing policy, and we are going to enforce that,” Goodell stated. “Troy had a direct conversation with the union just last week. We don’t think it’s appropriate in these circumstances, and we will continue to enforce the rule.”
An anonymous high-ranking NFL official told The Athletic that players are reminded each year that such gestures could lead to penalties.
