VIDEO: Husain Abdullah Penalized For Muslim Prayer After Touchdown During Kansas City Chiefs Victory

(ESPN)

Husain Abdullah of the Kansas City Chiefs was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after celebrating a touchdown with a Muslim prayer in the end zone during his team’s win over the New England Patriots on Monday.

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The safety, a devout Muslim, had just intercepted a Tom Brady pass and returned it 39 yards for the score when he slid to his knees and prayed.

Referees penalized Abdullah for violating the NFL’s rules against “celebrations while on the ground.”

Except there’s an exception to the rule — prayer.

Mike Pereira, the former Vice President of Officiating for the league and the most visible rules analyst on game broadcasts, has repeatedly stated that going to the ground “to give praise” is specifically allowed as an exemption to the no-celebration rule.

Moreover, devout Christian Tim Tebow repeatedly posed in prayer during games in 2011, to the point where “Tebowing” became a pop cultural phenomenon — and Tebow was never penalized.

Many viewers were outraged by the apparent hypocrisy of penalizing Abdullah.

While the NFL has not yet officially commented on the controversy over Abdullah’s prayer penalty, referees have reportedly indicated that the penalty was for the slide, not the prayer.

Check out the video below, and tell us what you think.

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