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.
The NFL has fined four Cowboys tight ends for their celebratory jump into the Salvation Army bucket during the Thanksgiving Day game against the New York Giants, according to Tom Pelissero from the NFL Network.
The celebration came after Peyton Hendershot scored the touchdown that put Dallas up 27-13. Sean McKeon, Jake Ferguson and Dalton Schultz all dived into the kettle, bopping up and down with Hendershot whacking Schultz on top of the head.
The planned celebration brought attention to the league’s Salvation Army donation drive, and although that was the plan, it wasn’t enough to spare them from getting fined but the players knew their fate.
Fines For Dallas Cowboys Whac-A-Mole Celebration
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- Dalton Schultz ($13,261)
- Jake Ferguson ($4,895)
- Peyton Hendershot ($3,944)
- Sean McKeon ($4,994)
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who gave his stamp of approval, said teammates would cover any fines.
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"The Whac-a-Mole was great, the guys told me about it earlier in the week, they were worried about getting fined or getting a penalty. We said make sure you're up two touchdowns and we got a couple of guys who can help with the fine so go for it," said Prescott.
Technically, that would violate NFL rules, although there’s no real way for the NFL to know if players quietly cover a teammate's fine.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott was not part of that particular celebration but he is no rookie to the Red Kettle bucket. In 2016, he was fined for dropping money and himself in the big red bucket, and another time he picked up Dak Prescott and put the quarterback in one.
“They topped me. They topped my kettle celebrations,” Elliott said. “I’m a little jealous. You know they didn’t let me in on it, but love those tight ends.”
The star brought back his iconic touchdown celebration by jumping into the Salvation Army kettle again during the Sunday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts with a little help from quarterback Dak Prescott.
While Elliott hid inside the kettle, Prescott pretended to turn the crank on the Jack-in-the-Box and out popped Elliott — doing his signature “eating” celebration.
The Salvation Army tweeted "Ezekiel Elliott + Red Kettle, that's the recipe for good."
