NFL: Husain Abdullah penalty wrong
— -- Husain Abdullah should not have received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty after dropping to his knees and bowing in prayer following a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown during the Kansas City Chiefs' 41-14 victory over the New England Patriots on Monday night, the NFL said Tuesday.
According to Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (d), "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," NFL spokesman Michael Signora told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Abdullah is a devout Muslim. After Monday's game, he told reporters that he thought the referees were flagging him for the slide, not prostrating in sajdah -- a common Muslim practice.
"For me, I just got a little too excited," Abdullah said, according to the Kansas City Star. "I think it was for the slide."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid acknowledged as much when Abdullah came to the sideline after his pick-six gave Kansas City a 41-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
"He said, 'You can't slide,'" the sixth-year free safety said.
Abdullah played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2008 to '11, then took a year off to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
He said if he ever returned an interception for a touchdown, the celebration would be automatic.
"If I get a pick, I'm going to prostrate before God in the end zone," he told reporters, according to the Star.
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.
Abdullah himself took to Twitter on Tuesday morning:
"Subhana Rabbial-'Ala" (Glory be to my Lord The Most High) http://t.co/RdKz3UfEjk
- Husain Abdullah (@HAbdullah39) September 30, 2014
"Subhana Rabbial-'Ala" (Glory be to my Lord The Most High) http://t.co/RdKz3UfEjk