Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott Questions Hefty Fine After Thanksgiving Salvation Army Drop

Touchdown celebrations come in different forms, and Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys has his ways of making them special. And it seems that each Thanksgiving, the Salvation Army kettle at the AT&T Stadium is always part of it.

Two years ago, the 23-year-old athlete jumped into the kettle after a Thanksgiving touchdown run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This earned him an unsportsmanlike conduct flag, and the NFL fined him for his action, ESPN reported. This time around, it seems that the NFL is not in a playful mood.

After giving the Cowboys 121 rushing yards and a touchdown, Elliott placed Dak Prescott in the kettle along with $21 – his personal donation. Dallas won that game, but the celebration has now been shrouded with a bit of a controversy with the running back drawing a $13,369 fine, Yahoo Sports reported.

"I was just thinking about what I could do today that would be a little bit different," Elliott said. "Two years ago when I jumped in there, there were a bunch of $21 donations to the Salvation Army. Hopefully, that first $21 that I put in there today triggers a lot of donations for them."

The fine has now become a point of controversy, especially if his recent antics are compared to his actions two years ago. Elliott was not at all pleased with the NFL’s move to regulate certain celebrations, something he brands as ridiculous.

Now, even the fine of Elliott has gotten its share of controversy. Elliott suggested that the money should be donated to the Salvation Army, a sensible thing to do. As of this writing, the NFL has yet to reveal its plans for it.

Although he admits that he could care less about the fine, Elliott has appealed the penalty. Based on his comments, it seems that the running back simply wants an explanation on why he was fined heftily, ESPN reported.

"It's all for a good cause and we're trying to bring awareness to the Salvation Army and if the NFL doesn't like that, then, I mean, that's on them. I'll pay their little fine," said Elliott.

For his part of being dropped in the Salvation Army kettle, Prescott got off lightly. He was issued a warning for it – fairly similar to what Elliott got two years ago.

Moving forward, Elliott and Prescott may want to bear in mind that future plans of dropping anything, including themselves, in the Salvation Army Kettle could be costly. Touchdown celebrations are normal although it seems that the NFL has now set some boundaries.