Bengals cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who is inactive for Super Bowl LVI against the Rams, was penalized for celebrating with his teammates on the field after an interception in the closing minutes of the first half.
After Cincinnati's Jessie Bates III picked off Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford on a deep pass attempt, Bengals players who were on the field during the play rushed to the end zone to celebrate together. Hargreaves, who was dressed in a short-sleeved hoodie and a shorts, came off the sidelines to join the fray.
Because he was ruled out of the game before kickoff, Hargreaves's appearance on the field was infraction-worthy. The Bengals received an unsportsmanlike penalty, which was enforced after the interception.
Because Bates had kneeled in the end zone for a touchback, the unsportsmanlike penalty knocked the Bengals back from their own 20-yard line to the 10. After five plays, Cincinnati's offense stalled out and was forced to punt the ball away.
Hargreaves was lucky that the Rams were unable to break through and score on their final drive of the half. Nevertheless, social media came down hard on the Bengals cornerback for the head-scratching penalty.
A former first-round pick via the Buccaneers, Hargreaves played in four games for the Bengals during the 2021 season. Cincinnati claimed him off waivers after he was released by the Texans in November.
