George Kittle knew there was no way he would get away with the undershirt he chose to wear in the 49ers' 42-10 victory over the Cowboys.
Kittle made that clear on Thursday when he was asked whether he was anticipating discipline for wearing a "F— Dallas" shirt under his uniform.
"Probably to get a fine," Kittle said. "I wore a personalized T-shirt, maybe an inappropriate word. So it is what it is. It was a decision I made. If they want to fine me, they fine me."
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Sure enough, the NFL did just that. The league hit Kittle with a $13,659 penalty for what ESPN's Jeremy Fowler described as the "use of abusive language on the T-shirt he wore under his uniform."
Kittle might have gotten away with his wardrobe choice had he not revealed that he was wearing the profane shirt. However, he made it visible when 49ers running back Jordan Mason scampered into the end-zone in the fourth quarter of the blowout win.
Kittle had already scored thrice before that, but he was elated to celebrate with his teammates and a raucous Levi's Stadium crowd.
Few on the 49ers seemed to have a problem with Kittle donning the shirt. Even coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that he got a kick out of it.
"Just Kittle, WWE stuff, entertainment," Shanahan said. "Not really much, just smiled at it."
But would Kittle be willing to wear that shirt again knowing the type of fine that awaits him?
"One hundred percent," Kittle said. "I'd do it again."
That's hardly a surprise. After all, Kittle is in the third year of a five-year, $75 million contract and has made over $48.5 million in career earnings, per Spotrac.com.
That said, Kittle also explained that he wouldn't simply look to wear profane shirts that poke fun at his opponents for no reason. He chose to don the Dallas shirt as a nod to linebacker Gary Plummer, who wore a "F— Dallas" shirt during the 1994 NFC championship game.
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He has no such plans to create a new one ahead of the team's Week 6 battle with the Browns.
"I don't make things up," Kittle said. "We stand on the shoulders of the 49ers before us. It's something I've seen my whole career, and finally, I just wanted to channel it."
