Rookie player Johnny Manziel may be used to playing under pressure, but the taunting he took during a game against the Washington Redskins proved to be too much for him, ending with Manziel flipping his middle finger towards the Redskin sidelines in the middle of the third quarter. The NFL fined Manziel nearly $12,000; worse, the Cleveland Browns were already struggling to decide which of two quarterbacks to choose for first string. Manziel’s inability to stay calm in the face of adversity is not going to win him any points.

“I had words exchanged with me throughout the entirety of the game, every game, week after week,” Manziel said, via the Associated Press. “I should have been smarter. It was a Monday Night Football game and the cameras were probably solidly on me, and I need to be smarter about that.”

He was right: the cameras were on him. ESPN not only captured the gesture, they were broadcasting live at the time. And while the incident is not likely to be a direct influence on whether or not Manziel makes first string, the immaturity displayed by the incident cannot possibly work in his favor. Players who are going to be a part of a professional team need to learn to act like professionals.