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NFL: Refs wrong to penalize Chiefs' Husain Abdullah for Muslim prayer

Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah penalized by NFL official for Muslim prayer

    by Jerry Gaul and Jonathan Tannenwald
    Published 

UPDATE, 10:41 a.m.: The NFL has issued a statement to the Associated Press admitting that Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for his touchdown celebration:

NFL spokesman Michael Signora writes in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that "the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression. 

Signora says "there should have been no penalty on the play."

Our original story is below.

After dealing with issues of domestic violence, child abuse and other off-field problems, the NFL finds itself in yet another delicate situation.

This time, the event took place on the field of play during the Kansas City Chiefs' 41-14 rout of the New England Patriots on Monday night.

In the fourth quarter, Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah intercepted a pass from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and returned it for a touchdown.

The No Fun League lived up to its name and officials penalized Abdullah for unsportsmanlike conduct for breaking Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (d), which reads:

"Prolonged or excessive celebrations or demonstrations by an individual player. Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground. A celebration or demonstration shall be deemed excessive or prolonged if a player continues to celebrate or demonstrate after a warning from an official."

Here's a .GIF of the play, via thebiglead.com:

There's also video of the play here.

Abdullah, a Muslim who sat out an entire season to make his pilgrimage to Mecca, went to his knees to perform a prayer.

C.J. LaBoy, Abdullah's agent, immediately took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the penalty:

Former NFL vice president of officiating and current Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira declared in a 2013 tweet that players would not be penalized for praying:

There are numerous examples of Christian players not being flagged for celebrating with a prayer, but none more noteworthy than former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and the act of "Tebowing," which became an internet sensation as people got down on one knee in prayer like Tebow.