It was the end of the third quarter, and the Kansas City Chiefs were up by 35 points against Brady and the Patriots. Husain Abdullah, a devout Muslim safety for the Chiefs, caught his 6th career interception, ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown, and then dropped to his knees in prayer. Despite the Tebowing phenom back in 2012, Abdullah was penalized by refs for “unsportsmanlike conduct?!?!” Jump on it for more details on this story ! “
While both Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Abdullah himself admit his sliding to the ground after scoring the touchdown prior to bowing in prayer may not have been the best of ideas…an NFL spokesperson admitted that despite Abdullah going to the ground following the score, which is a frowned upon activity league-wide, he should not have been flagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty…
Also, in a more declarative statement, NFL Spokesman Michael Signora wrote this to USA Today Sports:
Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct following his fourth quarter touchdown.
Luckily for the NFL, this acknowledgment came swiftly, before this developed in a larger-than-life news story.
