Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah is in his sixth year in the NFL. As a devout Muslim, Abdullah has had a plan in mind should he ever score a touchdown.
"If I get a pick, I'm going to prostrate before God in the end zone," Abdullah said.
In the fourth quarter of Kansas City's game against the New England Patriots last night, Abdullah picked off a pass from Tom Brady and returned it 39 yards for the touchdown. He then slid on his knees and bowed in prayer.
Abdullah's celebration drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, as the NFL rules state that "players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground."
However, exceptions have been made in the past for religious celebrations, such as when Tim Tebow knelt on one knee to pray. The NFL has since issued a statement claiming that the penalty was wrong.
"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 believes it was his slide on both knees that drew the flag.
"For me, I just got a little too excited," Abdullah said. "I think it was for the slide."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid told him "You can't slide" as Abdullah came to the sideline after his score. But Reid isn't sure if the rule is appropriate.
"When you go to Mecca, you should be able to slide wherever you want," Reid said after the game. "We've got two priests in here. They'd probably vouch for me."
Abdullah played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2008 to 2011. He took a year off to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Even with the NFL's statement, the penalty raises an interesting debate over religious-based celebrations. Abdullah, however, isn't focused on the larger implications. Instead, he's happy that he picked off a future Hall of Famer and is already planning what to do with the football.
"That's nice," Abdullah said. "That's definitely going up in the house. That's a ball that's definitely going up in the game room area, so it was amazing."
The Chiefs beat the Patriots 41-14 to even the records of both teams to 2-2.
