Cooper DeJean recently showed why Philadelphia Eagles fans love him.

During the Eagles’ 31-25 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 28 September, DeJean celebrated his open-field tackle by replicating Allen Iverson’s iconic taunt.

Cooper DeJean hit with NFL punishment for Allen Iverson-inspired taunt

After making the tackle on Rachaad White, DeJean stepped over him while staring him down, just like Iverson did over Tyron Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals.

DeJean was immediately flagged for taunting.

That flag cost his team 15 yards, and now reports confirm that he has been fined by the NFL.

In the end, DeJean was fined $11,593 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The NFL have come down hard on taunting and hasn’t shied away from fining players for even a hint of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Jalen Carter was fined $11,593 for taunting after a field goal block in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, just a few weeks after his spitting incident against the Dallas Cowboys, which also resulted in a fine.

Travis Kelce was deemed to have made an “obscene” gesture against the Eagles in Week 2 and was subsequently fined $14,000.

DeJean’s taunt will detract from what was another fine performance from the cornerback.

He put nine total tackles along with two defended passes in the Eagles’ 31-25 over Tampa, who were undefeated going into the game.

Fans online reacted to DeJean’s taunting, with Eagles fans loving it and opposing fans slamming it.

“Cooper Dejean with an absolutely disgusting unsportsmanlike taunt vs. the Bucs,” one user posted on Reddit.

“Maybe unpopular opinion but you should be able to stunt on your opponents,” one user wrote.

“Yes its a stupid flag but also, the players know this is getting called now. Gotta be smarter,” another user posted.

On the Fox broadcast, NFL legend Tom Brady said: “A lot of people stepped over me when they sacked me.

“And I had a lot of urges to just fire my right arm up there, where the sun doesn’t shine.”

DeJean has become somewhat of a fan favourite in Philadelphia; his pick-six off Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory will live long in the memory of his supporters.

Allen Iverson’s iconic taunt over Tyronn Lue

Iverson’s taunt — one of the most legendary moments in recent NBA history — occurred during Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

After sinking a clean fadeaway jump shot, Iverson — who blew $200m on cars and parties — stepped over Lue, who had fallen while trying to contest the shot.

That moment has become a piece of NBA history and a source of many memes in the years gone by.

Unfortunately for Lue, that visual has become one of the most viral moments of his career.

The current LA Clippers coach revisited the moment in 2023 and played down the significance of it.

“People make a big deal over it like he crossed me over and I fell down and then he stepped over me,” Lue said on an episode of All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

“He hit a contested shot and I stepped back and I fell, he stepped over top of me. For me, it wasn’t a big deal. To this day it’s not a big deal.”

To be fair to Lue, Iverson was the league MVP that season and was truly unstoppable.

And in the end, it was Lue and the Lakers who won the series and became NBA champions that year.