The NFL has suspended a videographer following an electric touchdown celebration by Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill earlier this year.
Kevin Fitzgibbons, in a viral clip on social media, said the league pulled his media credentials for the remainder of the season and “possibly for good,” after an episode in October where Hill scored a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, grabbed Fitzgibbons’ phone and recorded himself doing a backflip.
Fitzgibbons has now been disciplined for allowing Hill to use his phone as a prop in a celebration.
The 20-year-old videographer, who attends the University of Miami and has worked with players including Hill, Saquon Barkley and Antonio Brown, said he’d “instantly reunited” with Hill after the wide receiver was traded to the Dolphins in 2022.
Fitzgibbons soon applied for a job with the NFL and, after one of the “greatest years” of his life, said he was filming in the end zone as Hill approached him following the score against the Panthers.
“He noticed me and surprised me by grabbing my phone and doing a backflip. It was the coolest moment ever and I ran in the tunnel to send the clip to the NFL,” said Fitzgibbons, who jumped up and down after getting his phone back.
Hill’s video of the backflip was shared and later deleted by the NFL UK account on X (formerly Twitter), according to USA Today. The celebration led to a 15-yard penalty for the Dolphins, who wound up winning the game.
Hill, in a postgame press conference, said he saw Fitzgibbons’ phone and “just took it from him” despite the videographer not wanting him to.
Fitzgibbons said the NFL told him that he still had to be “disciplined” and he shouldn’t have jumped on the sidelines following the celebration, regardless if he knew it was on its way or not.
“I get why the NFL had to make this decision, and wish I could’ve done something to prevent it, but I’m thankful for the memory that Tyreek gave me,” said Fitzgibbons, adding that he can’t thank the NFL enough for the opportunity to film games.
“Whether it’s back with the NFL or starting a new sport, I just hope to get another chance of doing what I love,” he said.
Hill replied to Fitzgibbons’ video on Wednesday, saying that he would comment but he “could get fined.”
An NFL spokesperson, in a statement to NBC 6 South Florida, confirmed that the league pulled Fitzgibbons’ game day credentials for the rest of the season, and noted that Fitzgibbons could still work for the league on “other projects this year and beyond.”