No joke has been more longstanding around the National Football League than the one about the NFL actually standing for the No Fun League. After all, celebrations and individualism is pretty frowned upon by the league office and by actual rules.
Dallas Cowboys star rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott found out exactly how little fun the NFL can be last weekend, and now he’s speaking out about the need for some changes in the rules.
All he is asking the NFL to do is loosen the celebration rules to allow for respectful TD celebrations according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“I think it’s definitely sad the NFL is just being so strict on celebrations that they’re not letting us, who are the best at what we do, [celebrate]. I think we should have a little bit of leeway. We should be able to have a little more fun. I think it’s entertainment to the fans. I think they’re taking a little bit of the fun out of this pro game.”
You know, like jumping in to the red Salvation Army kettle in the back of the end zone at AT&T Stadium.
For that little hilarious number, Elliott was assessed a 15-yard penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Luckily, Elliott was able to avoid a fine from the league, which usually accompanies celebrations like this.
Elliott knows just how lucky he was to avoid the fine.
“I think I had one get out jail free card. I used it already,” he said.
He certainly didn’t have one of those with his coaches, who were none too happy about the penalty that was assessed after the celebration.
“Honestly, I didn’t care how much trouble I got in,” Elliott said. “You knew it was going to come. I think the most heat came from Rich [Bisaccia], our special teams coordinator.”
Elliott wasn’t just bringing attention to himself with the celebration of a two-yard touchdown run either. He was able to help bring awareness to the Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign, which saw increased donations after Elliott’s stunt.
That increase included a $21,000 donation from Elliott himself.
So perhaps the NFL should look to Elliott as a model for doing celebrations the right way and perhaps let the guys have a little fun on the job in the future.
Then again, it is the NFL and they still won’t allow players to wear “attention-grabbing” cleats either…even if they are honoring a good cause or someone important that has just passed away.
Until the league wakes up, we’re likely to not see Elliott have any more fun in the end zone though and judging by his creativity this past weekend that is a shame for us all.