Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah was penalized by a game official when he knelt to pray after scoring a touchdown Monday night. However, the penalty was mistaken, said an N.F.L. spokesperson on Tuesday.
Abdullah, who is Muslim, intercepted a pass by Tom Brady and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown against the New England Patriots.
After he entered the end zone, he slid on his knees and bowed forward in prayer. He was given a 15-yard penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
An N.F.L. spokesman said Tuesday that Abdullah should not have been penalized. “Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons,” Michael Signora, the spokesman said.
The Chiefs won regardless, 41-14.
OK, Fine. 