Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was fined a hefty $100,000 by the NFL for his comments on the officiating after the Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

On December 21, Reid was asked about the “lump of coal” that the NFL handed and whether the fine is “just the cost of doing business sometimes.” The response was brief — but ominous.

“Well, you take that coal and you make diamonds out of it,” the Chiefs HC replied with a deadpan look reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in his prime. After a moment, Reid flashed a hint of a smile, adding that he “appreciated” the reporter setting up his answer.

Only after the smirk did reporters laugh. There was a certain intensity to the initial remark.

Can Andy Reid, Chiefs Turn Fines Into Rallying Cry?
The way Reid responded, it’s fair to wonder if these fines have become a rallying cry for the Chiefs as they attempt to win the AFC West and push for back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

As the old adage goes, extreme pressure can transform coal into diamonds.

Considering the weekly criticism of the WR corps and the offense, various tough calls from the NFL officials and higher expectations than any other team in the conference, it’s fair to say Kansas City faces “extreme pressure” most games. The message from Reid is seemingly: Let’s turn these fines and said pressure into something spectacular.

Let’s take all the negativity surrounding this 2023 campaign and turn it into a diamond.

And just imagine if the Chiefs turn this thing around and win another championship in February. Despite Patrick Mahomes having a down season. Despite the poor play from the wide receivers. And even despite untimely miscues from coaches and athletes alike.

If KC comes back and wins after all of that, their resiliency will be traced back to quotes and moments like these.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Is Much More Apologetic About NFL Fine
Mahomes first reacted to his $50,000 fine on December 18. That statement was made with Pro Football Talk insider Mike Florio.

Addressing the media after Coach Reid on December 21, the Chiefs quarterback was asked about the severity of the forfeiture. His response was much more apologetic than his HC.

“You understand the consequences [for situations like this],” Mahomes began. “They tell you before the year.”

He continued: “Obviously, I had an outburst on the sideline and everybody saw it [after] a big game. And so, there’s going to be consequences to that and obviously I got the fine.”

“So, now you just got to live with those consequences, learn from it, become better from it and not try to let that happen again,” the reigning NFL MVP concluded. “We kind of just kept it moving.”

Chiefs’ Jerick McKinnon & Kadarius Toney Sit Out Practice on Thursday
Andy Reid also relayed early injury updates on December 21 — which was the first day of practice with the Las Vegas Raiders rematch coming on Monday rather than Sunday.

Running back Jerick McKinnon (groin) and wide receiver Kadarius Toney (hip) were the headliners. Both would miss practice on December 21, according to Reid, although that’s not atypical of previous weeks.

McKinnon and Toney have received their fair share of rest days this season. Thursday is most likely yet another one of those.

Of course, starting RB Isiah Pacheco is expected to return from his two-game absence on Christmas Day. Coach Reid also noted that linebackers Nick Bolton and Cam Jones were dealing with some sort of illness.

“We had a couple [of illnesses] last week,” the Chiefs HC added. “So, we’re going through it a little bit.” He did not appear to be overly concerned about the sicknesses.