Hypocritical NFL Strikes Again As Cowboys Players Fined For Raising Money With Salvation Army Kettle Celebration

Four Dallas Cowboys have been fined by the No Fun League for their participation in a charitable touchdown celebration on Thanksgiving. All four fines vary in number, but they all stem from the same celebration.

Peyton Hendershot #89 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a touchdown with Jake Ferguson #87 and Dalton Schultz #86 during the second half in the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Because that makes sense, right?!

Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson and Sean McKeon hopped into the big, red Salvation Army bucket. They each took turns popping up and down as Hendershot whacked them on the head.

The celebration was not only awesome, it stemmed from a unique, charitable Cowboys tradition that started in 2006 with Terrell Owens. Ezekiel Elliott later became the first player to actually hop into the Salvation Army kettle in 2016, and it led to a significant spike in donations to the organization.

Salvation Army said it received $850,000 in online donations in less than 24 hours after Elliott's bucket jump. As a result, the NFL chose not to fine Elliott for his celebration.

It has become a yearly thing in Dallas, with players jumping into the bucket around the holidays.

"We have those kettles there because we do want the visibility of reminding everybody, certainly at this time of year, how doing the most good is putting a dollar in that red kettle," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in 2016. "To have gotten that attention in front of probably 20 million or so people last night for the Salvation Army was just wonderful."

Apparently, the NFL now disagrees with the Cowboys' Salvation Army awareness

Where the league didn't fine Elliott in 2016, it fined him $13,000 for doing it again in 2018. The NFL also fined four players this year, though quarterback Dak Prescott said that the team would pool together to pay up.

Why does the NFL hate fun? A record number of people were watching that game, which saw the Salvation Army get serious shine.

Now, fines collected by the NFL do not go to the NFL. They are donated to the NFL Player Care Foundation or the Gene Upshaw Player Assistance Trust through the NFL Foundation.

However, instead of taking Schultz, Ferguson, Hendershot and McKeon's money at all, the NFL should let them donate to the Salvation Army. Unbelievable.