It’s national television — the leather in your hand, you juke left, right, spin move, touchdown! A feeling of exhilaration consumes you and all you want to do is celebrate. You can do a simple spike of the ball, a little shimmy, or a simple thank you to your God. This wasn’t the case for safety Husain Abdullah. As Arturo Garcia reported for Raw Story, in September of 2014 officials cited the Kansas City Chiefs safety for “unsportsmanlike conduct,” when he dropped to the ground and prayed after scoring a touchdown against New England. Abdullah is a devoted Muslim and participates in the traditions and practices including fasting during Ramadan even though training camp occurs at the same time. Fellow NFL player Tim Tebow, a Christian, also likes to thank his God after a touchdown but somehow has never been penalized for his actions.
Source: Arturo Garcia, “Muslim NFL player penalized for praying after touchdown,” RawStory, March 29, 2014,
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/muslim-nfl-player-penalized-for-praying-after-touchdown/.
Student Researcher: Kristoffer Jimenez (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)