Cowboys Players Fined By NFL For Celebrating Hendershot Touchdown In Salvation Army Kettle With Game of Whack-A-Mole
Dallas Cowboys tight ends Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot and Sean McKeon are facing fines for a sideline celebration that warmed fans’ hearts on Thanksgiving day. The four players celebrated following a touchdown in a game where they came out victorious over the New York Giants, 28-20. The tight ends jumped into an oversized Salvation Army kettle that the Cowboys placed beyond the end zone.
The red Salvation Army kettle celebration has become a tradition for the team, even though players are always fined for it. Many are happy to pay their fines and draw extra attention to the worthwhile charity.
The Cowboys even tweeted out a clip showing the players’ antics after Peyton Hendershot scored a touchdown on a two-yard jet sweep. After hopping into the kettle, they all proceeded to play a game of whack-a-mole.
Schultz was fined $13,261, Ferguson was fined $4,895, Hendershot was fined $3,944 and McKeon was fined $4,994, according to Tom Pelissero from NFL Network.
Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott said that teammates would help cover the fines.
The 2022 Thanksgiving game was the most watched regular-season game ever, attracting 42 million viewers according to Fox Sports. The scene looked familiar to fans who may remember when Ezekiel Elliott went viral several seasons ago in 2016 after he jumped into the red kettle. Elliott was also fined that year.
In 2018, Elliott continued the tradition when he dropped Dak Prescott into the kettle.
“At the point he lifted me up, I’m like, ‘I better not resist or I might hurt something,’ ” Prescott said at the time. “Zeke’s a person and player I’m very thankful for.”
The whole point of the tradition is to help garner donations and have a little fun. It seems from the thousands of retweets that the free publicity stunt has garnered, that the team has succeeded. Now if only the NFL would match donations or donate the fines it collects, then the league would be in the business of giving.
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