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PITTSBURGH -- Santonio Holmes' last-minutetouchdown catch won the Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Itcost him 10 grand, too.
The NFL fined Holmes $10,000 for using the football as a prop during his post-catch celebration, which came well after the play ended. Holmes, impersonatingNBA star LeBron James' pregame ritual of tossing powder into the air, shook the football and tossed it after his 6-yard scoring catch with 35 secondssealed Pittsburgh's 27-23 victory.
The Steelers were not penalized for excessive celebration, apparently because the officials were getting ready for the point-after attempt and did not seeHolmes' display in the corner of the end zone.
Two weeks ago, NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira said the celebration should have drawn a 15-yard penalty on the following kickoff. Suchpenalties result in an automatic $10,000 fine.
However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said before the Pro Bowl that the NFL competition committee may consider making such celebrations legal if theyoccur long after a play ends.
"As you know, part of this rule is to avoid having a reaction from opposing players and, from what I could see, only seeing it once, it didn't seemlike it was anywhere near that," Goodell said.
Holmes auctioned off the gloves he wore during the catch for $70,200, but that money will be donated to charity.
The NFL Network first reported the Holmes fine
The NFL fined Holmes $10,000 for using the football as a prop during his post-catch celebration, which came well after the play ended. Holmes, impersonatingNBA star LeBron James' pregame ritual of tossing powder into the air, shook the football and tossed it after his 6-yard scoring catch with 35 secondssealed Pittsburgh's 27-23 victory.
The Steelers were not penalized for excessive celebration, apparently because the officials were getting ready for the point-after attempt and did not seeHolmes' display in the corner of the end zone.
Two weeks ago, NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira said the celebration should have drawn a 15-yard penalty on the following kickoff. Suchpenalties result in an automatic $10,000 fine.
However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said before the Pro Bowl that the NFL competition committee may consider making such celebrations legal if theyoccur long after a play ends.
"As you know, part of this rule is to avoid having a reaction from opposing players and, from what I could see, only seeing it once, it didn't seemlike it was anywhere near that," Goodell said.
Holmes auctioned off the gloves he wore during the catch for $70,200, but that money will be donated to charity.
The NFL Network first reported the Holmes fine
