Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 2:18 PM | 86 comments |
 

Players fined for end-zone celebration
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DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and four other Eagles were fined $10,000 each for their end zone celebration after Celek's second-quarter touchdown in the Eagles' 38-10 win over Carolina on Sunday.

Jamaal Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Stacy Andrews and Alex Smith also were fined. The players received letters today from the league office via FedEx.

After Celek scored on a nine-yard TD reception, he handed the football to Jamaal Jackson. Several players encircled Jackson and DeSean Jackson. Jamaal Jackson spiked the football, at which point DeSean Jackson flopped to the ground. The other players -- Celek, Curtis Andrews and Smith -- hopped upon the spike. The clip is on youtube.

DeSean Jackson received a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the celebration, and then a stern warning from coach Andy Reid.

Told that he could have avoided the entire mess if he had simply held on to the football, Celek refused to take the blame for $60,000 in fines and said he was appealing his fine.

"I was just trying to give it to a lineman to let him spike it," Celek said.

Winston Justice also was fined $5,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on a run by Brian Westbrook. He also said he'd appeal.

These fines come after the league decided that the hit on Donovan McNabb in the end zone by Panthers defensive tackle Damione Lewis was legal and not worthy of a fine. McNabb, of course, fractured a rib on the play. 

 
Posted by Jeff McLane and Bob Brookover @ 2:18 PM  Permalink | 86 comments
86
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:40 PM, 09/16/2009
    "The group celebration apparently violated the rule in which only the scoring player can act like an idiot" Theres a rule in the NFL that organized pre-planned group celebrations are an automatic 15 yeard penalty and fine- has nothing do with being "an idiot". Your a sportswriter, Brookover, how difficult is it to know the rules of the sport you're covering?
    — phila215
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:40 PM, 09/16/2009
    15 yards and $40,000 in fines for a celebration that may have hurt someone's feelings. Zero yards and zero dollars in fines for a late hit that broke a guy's rib. I love the NFL.
    — hunsinator
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:51 PM, 09/16/2009
    i thought the idiot comment was funny Bob...
    — kookybeez
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:54 PM, 09/16/2009
    has the nfl forgot this is entertainment for us? I'm not saying we need the WWE out there but it makes me want to watch. I loved it when TO was out there. Ocho Cinoc, etc. Remeber the snow angel last year?
    — vladamir
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:59 PM, 09/16/2009
    Wow....our guy 'Dierte' seems to have correctly analyzed the situation.
    — TBear
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:00 PM, 09/16/2009
    i wish you guys never covered anything interesting. if that was the case, i wouldnt waste the time reading your writing. celebrating is fun. idiots
    — IssueMovement
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:01 PM, 09/16/2009
    give me a break..why don't the packers get fined every time they score and jump up into the stands
    — gbl
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:03 PM, 09/16/2009
    Let me get this straight- A TD celebration merits multiple fines but a cheap shot on a downed quarterback in the end zone merits nothing? Come on NFL -how about some perspective and common sense?!?!?!
    — SportsmanshipMatters
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:07 PM, 09/16/2009
    the NFL has lost its mind. Madden for commissioner
    — dreinterests
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:09 PM, 09/16/2009
    (N)o (F)un (L)eague strikes again!!
    — joeolive
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:10 PM, 09/16/2009
    I'm old school, and prefer that players hand the ball back to the official and go about there business....But...if everyone does it, and these dances have become the norm, how does it show up the other team? I agree; it's ridiculous to penalize and sanction a celebration and ignore a qb whose ribs get busted from an apparent late hit.
    — retzlaff
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:12 PM, 09/16/2009
    No fun off the field. No fun on the field. No wonder people are miserable in the country.
    — CoLange
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:13 PM, 09/16/2009
    The NoFunLeague strikes again.. there has to be a limit but come on! It took all of 5 seconds and they were not rubbing it in anyone's face. I agree with SportsmanshipMatters - and BTW NFL.. McNabb's broken rib is in the back of his rib cage proving it was the cheap forearm to the back when he was on the turf!
    — dinsdale
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:14 PM, 09/16/2009
    phila, dierte....stop being a donkies. They were acting like idiots, but that's the point. They were having fun...it's the league that needs to lighten up.
    — MFPhils


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About Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari






Jeff McLane (left) began covering the Eagles in April 2009 after covering college sports and Penn State football in particular. Before that he wrote about high school sports and before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Find Jeff on Facebook and follow him on Twitter for instant updates on the Eagles.

Jonathan Tamari (right) began covering the Eagles in April 2010. He previously covered New Jersey state government and politics, reporting and writing about elections, policy debates and the many personalities that drive the Garden State, from three recent governors to the many musicians bidding to write the state song. He has been at the Inquirer since June 2008. Follow him on Twitter at @JonathanTamari.

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