The NFL just can’t get anything right these days. The league flagged Husain Abdullah this weekend for getting down on his knees for a quick prayer after scoring a touchdown for a Kansas City Chiefs.
You might be asking yourself: What’ wrong with that? Athletes are always thanking god after scoring touchdowns, hitting home runs, and winning championships. The only different between those celebrations and Husain’s is that the Chiefs player was praying to Mecca.
Twitter immediately lit up with complaints after Husain Abdullah was penalized for his touchdown prayer. His brother, former Broncos/Cardinals safety Hamza, took to Twitter to thank fans for their support.
Seeing the collective outrage over @HAbdullah39 being assessed a penalty for a gracious showing of thanks and praise is humbling.
— Hamza Abdullah (@HamzaAbdullah21) September 30, 2014
The NFL admitted today that it had made a mistake.
NFL spokesman Michael Signora said: “Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct following his fourth quarter touchdown … Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (d) states ‘players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground.’ However, the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.”
Husain Abdullah hasn’t said much about the penalty but he did post a photo of the celebration on his Instagram account.
Husain writes: “Subhana Rabbial-‘Ala” (Glory be to my Lord The Most High)
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