You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy™
The Prayer Penalty.
Were you watching Monday Night Football?
The game between the KC Chiefs and the New England Tom Brady’s was a blow out.
The Patriots looked more like Victoria Secrets models and the Chiefs looked the 27 Yankees.
Somewhere in this “I wish I had been watching Dancing With the Stars Debacle,” a random, who cares Touchdown is scored.
Hussain Abdullah intercepts Brady and streaks to the end zone. The defensive back slides on his knees to pay dirt. At the end of the celebration, he bows his head to the grass. It last a few seconds. He gets up. His teamates rejoice. Standard Operating Procedure for pick sixes in the NFL, right?
It’s not like he did a dance, or signed a football or jumped into the stands and let everyone feel his ass.
His score made me yawn and wonder if I should turn out the lights, the party’s over.
But then, a yellow flag floats out of the Kansas City night.
It lands in the grass with the weight of a world that has too much time on its hands.
Excessive celebration is the call.
Excessive celebration?
For what?
A quiet reflective moment?
There’s an awkward pause, then the indignation rains down upon the field, not just from Arrow Head Stadium, but from around the planet.
Abdullah is an NFL defensive back. He is also a Muslim Football Player. And yes, he was flagged for bowing his head on the grass in the end zone for a few moments after he scored a touchdown.
The celebration was so innocuous, had there been no hanky, it wouldn’t have been noticed. It looked like any other play you have seen a thousand times.
Hussain Abdullah scored and put his head on the turf.
It was insignificant. It was hardly a blip on the discriminatory radar.
Then the yellow flag flew.
Unsportsmanlike conduct. Excessive celebration. 15 yards will be assessed on the kick off.
All I could think was “For What?”
If that’s a penalty, then Tim Tebow should be arrested. He single handled created a national sensation with his “Tebowing” for Jesus. Every time Tebow was on the field, the refs should have thrown a flag. Not for excessive celebration, but for 12 men on the field. Tebow always had Jesus looking over his shoulder.
If Tebowing is not a prayer after a score, then I don’t know what is.
The NFL never threw a flag. You know why? Tebow is Christian. Abdullah is Muslim.
I’m just saying.
How many countless NFL players have crossed themselves after a touchdown or great play? How many athletes say a hail Mary and point to God in Heaven after an amazing play.
Hey NFL get the hell out of my celebratory moment.
Is it really the place of the NFL to condemn a player for something that is not excessively orchestrated.
Is bowing your head for 2 quiet seconds, the same as slam dunking a football over a goal post? And why is that outlawed anyway?
I really don’t care if the guy wants to Tebow or Hussain or take a selfie with the cheerleaders.
Let a man celebrate.
The NFL is becoming your boring conservative uncle who doesn’t let you sit on the couch in his living room.
Personally, I think players should be able to do any damn thing they want.
Throw the ball into the stands, spike it off a cheer leader’s head? The more excessive the better.
I miss Terrell Owens scoring touchdowns. He was promotional genius. Remember when he scored and immediately reached into his sock, pulled a sharpie out of his sock and signed the football, handing it to someone in the end zone?
They still show that highlight and it’s a decade old.
Remember the Icky shuffle? Icky Woods lumbering back and forth like he was on Spring Break with a bottle of Cuervo. Now he’s in a Geico ad in the lunch meat department.
How about Deion Sanders scoring with his hand behind his head, high-stepping and then doing the cabbage patch in the end zone. Prime time!
It all began with Billy White Shoes Johnson and his rubber knee dance.
Ocho Cinco held up signs. Joe Horn pulled out a cell phone. Gronk breaks the ball crushing his spikes into the Earth.
In my mind, all of these celebrations are welcome.
The NFL needs to look at the statue of Liberty and get back to basics. Bring us your tired your poor your boring. Spice it up. Make it fun. Bring non fans into the cathedral. Not everyone cares if the guy scores. But everyone loves a good touchdown dance.
Let a man dance!
The NFL doesn’t get it and has never got it.
Now a player bows his head. If you hadn’t told me he was praying, I’d have thought he was tired, or thought he was catching his breath, or thankful that he wasn’t hurt, or just over come with joy that he had done something that few humans get to do; Score a touchdown on Monday Night Football.
Suddenly he is not a football player. He is a Muslim football player. Suddenly his touchdown carries more importance than just another score that makes a terrible game worse.
Honestly, to even hard-core fans, had you not told me he was praying or he was Muslim, I’d have watched bleary eyed and thought “nice play by a Kansas City Chief Defensive back. A football player!
Some people want to make this about religion.
I want to make it about dullness.
The NFL is freaking boring.
Scoring a touchdown is hard.
Most people never have and never will.
Let a man celebrate. Let them bow their heads. Let them look to heaven. Let them do a split, a back flip, sign autographs in the end zone.
Spice it up. It’s entertainment, it’s not real.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t feed my kids, or cure cancer.
It’s the NFL. It’s interesting, but also a so what in Mongo’s game of life.
In case anyone cares; the Chiefs routed New England 41-14.
People should hope that Tom Brady starts praying that his receivers start catching the ball.
Oh wait, that might be flagged for excessive hopefulness.
Life’s Crazy™