Husain Abdullah wrongfully penalized for excessive celebration

NFL vice president of football communications Michael Signora explained in a tweet, saying, “Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons.”

The penalty sparked some controversy when it occurred. Abdullah is a practicing Muslim, and given the propensity of Christian prayer after touchdowns in football, the flag felt, well, awkward.

To get a few things out of the way from the start: no, the NFL did not flag Husain Abdullah because of his religion. Abdullah wasn’t targeted because he is Muslim, and this wasn’t the NFL making some big statement about cracking down on prayer. Instead, the NFL accidentally flagged a player for praying because its rules are unwieldy and judgment is left to humans trying to process what’s happening in front of them at breakneck speed.

Let’s recap what happened on Monday night just before midnight. Husain Abdullah intercepted Tom Brady, ending a very bad night for the Patriots quarterback, and ran it back for a touchdown. He slid to his knees to pray, and was flagged for excessive celebration.

Husain Abdullah and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid believe the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty handed out following a Tom Brady interception was a result of Abdullah sliding, not his act of prayer.

The defensive back spoke after the game and explained his understanding of the flag.

During the Chiefs’ destruction of the Patriots, Husain Abdullah picked off Tom Brady and scored, the second touchdown of his career. After scoring, he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, specifically excessive celebration.

This is the unsportsmanlike conduct/excessive celebration he was penalized for: