Takkarist McKinley Reportedly Won't Be Fined for Cursing During Draft Speech

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Takkarist McKinley will not be fined for dropping an F-bomb during his on-camera interview at the 2017 NFL draft.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the league has no plans to discipline the former UCLA star, who gave the first round perhaps its most memorable moment.

Bringing a picture of his grandmother to the podium, McKinley was overcome with emotion and nearly broke into tears.

"I made a promise to her and I stuck to it. I made that promise, man," McKinley said on NFL Network (h/t the Guardian). “I told her. Before she passed away, I was going to live my dream. I was gonna go [to a Division I college].

"I was gonna get out of Richmond, I was gonna get out of Oakland. I was gonna go to the NFL. I made that promise to her, man. Thirty seconds later she passed away. And this is who I do it for. This is who I do it for, man ... C'mon, man! Get to the damn quarterback! We gonna get to the quarterback!"

McKinley then said being drafted means "every f--king thing" to him and implored the league to "fine me later" for the outburst.

McKinley later posted on Twitter, explaining his comments:

While his words were the focus of national attention, McKinley's struggles in life show why his grandmother made such an impact. As noted by Jarrett Bell of USA Today, McKinley's mother abandoned him when he was five, and he never knew his father. He also went through a stretch where he was homeless and said his grandmother, who raised him, "paid her bills by collecting water bottles and cans."

McKinley's grandmother died in 2011 after suffering multiple strokes, but not before he could make those promises to give himself a better life. He earned a scholarship to UCLA and then battled his way up the depth chart to become a star, breaking out with a 10-sack, 61-tackle season in 2016.

The Falcons took him with the No. 26 overall pick, where his contract could be worth as much as $10.25 million. Good on the NFL for allowing a kid who has been through countless hardships to share his raw emotions without stepping in to slap him on the wrist over foul language.