KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Husain Abdullah knew before he even reached the end zone Monday night that he would drop to his knees in thankful prayer after intercepting Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 41-14 victory over New England.
He had no idea he would be penalized for it.
But after sliding to the grass in the end zone at Arrowhead Stadium after his 39-yard return, that’s exactly what happened. The devout Muslim, who stepped away from the game for a year in 2012 to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, saw yellow flags flying from the game officials.
The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty touched off a firestorm of controversy on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.
Double standard? Tebow can pray, but Husain Abdullah cannot. #NFL#MNF#NEvsKCpic.twitter.com/7FB5ltlsLy
— 🇺🇲 ☕ LM✌️🇨🇦 (@shayne571) September 30, 2014
It turns out the referees were flagging Abdullah for the slide, not the prostration, and even Abdullah acknowledged that the NFL prohibits sliding to the knees in celebration.
“If I get a pick I am going to prostrate before God in the end zone,” Abdullah said, according to The Kansas City Star. “For me, I just got a little too excited. I think it was for the slide.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s defense of the sixth-year safety was a bit less nuanced: “When you go to Mecca, you should be able to slide wherever you want.”
Abdullah’s agent, CJ LaBoy, wrote on Twitter: “If the NFL tries to fine @HAbdullah39 for his TD celebration there’s going to be some problems,” and on Tuesday morning a league spokesman confirmed the rule had been wrongfully enforced.
Abdullah should not have been penalized. Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons.
— Michael Signora (@NFLfootballinfo) September 30, 2014
