Husain Abdullah checked a couple items off his bucket list Monday, intercepting Tom Brady and returning the pick to the end zone for a touchdown.
When he got there, Abdullah, a practicing Muslim, slid on his knees and prayed. Abdullah was flagged by the refs for going to the ground in celebration.
“If I get a pick, I’m going to prostrate before God in the end zone,” Abdullah said via the Kansas City Star.
So he did just that, but got flagged for it. It's technically against the rules -- Section 3, Article 1 (d) of the NFL playing rules notes it's illegal to celebrate on the ground.
"Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations while on the ground," the rules read.
But there's an unwritten exemption for players going to the ground in prayer. Most notably, Tim Tebow (who somehow managed to have "taking a knee" become "Tebowing"), who routinely went to a knee after scoring.
Abdullah -- who took the 2012 NFL season off to visit Mecca with his brother Husian -- was gracious after the game.
“For me, I just got a little too excited,” Abdullah said. “I think it was for the slide.”
But Andy Reid -- who explained to Abdullah he was flagged for sliding -- certainly put it best.
“When you go to Mecca, you should be able to slide wherever you want,” Reid said. “We’ve got two priests in here. They’d probably vouch for me."
His agent made it clear their camp won't be happy if the NFL decides to fine Abdullah.
If the NFL tries to fine @HAbdullah39 for his TD celebration there's going to be some problems.
— CJ LaBoy (@CJLaBoy) September 30, 2014
Best guess here is the NFL won't be doing that. If anything, the NFL should note Abdullah wouldn't be flagged for going to his knees as long as he doesn't slide on the ground if he scores again. And do whatever they can to make sure Abdullah can freely celebrate his religion on the field.
The NFL announced Tuesday morning Abdullah 'should not have been penalized.'
