Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle has been hit with a $14,491 fine following his post-touchdown celebration during the team’s 16-13 upset road win against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. The celebration in question, which occurred after Dowdle scored his second touchdown at Lambeau Field, involved two pelvic pumps. While two pumps are generally understood to be permissible based on an old football-themed comedy sketch, Dowdle’s actions were ultimately deemed to violate the NFL’s unsportsmanlike conduct rules.

The fine has sparked a debate among NFL analysts about whether a flag was justified. Gene Steratore, CBS Sports rules analyst and former referee, referenced past instances, including a subtle pump in 2020 and similar moves by M. Stafford and a Los Angeles Rams player in Weeks 8 and 9 of the current season, suggesting he wouldn’t have typically thrown a flag for such a “subtle move”. However, in Dowdle’s case, the pump was fined considering the extent of his glute activation. He said,

“We brought alot more attention to the game.”

The pump in discussion is a famous move out of a Key & Peele comedy sketch where a player avoids a penalty by keeping his pelvic thrusts to two, as three is the threshold for a flag. But it is not always important that whatever we see on TV adheres to the NFL rulebook. Dowdle was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, a point of emphasis league-wide this season. This infraction immediately impacted the game when Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald missed the ensuing extra-point attempt.

Dowdle’s score had initially given the Panthers a 13-6 lead, but the missed extra point due to the penalty made it easier for Green Bay to tie the game 13-13 shortly thereafter. Fortunately for Dowdle and the team, Fitzgerald secured the 16-13 victory with a 49-yard field goal as time reached its endpoint.

Keegan-Michael Key surprises RB Rico Dowdle during a team meeting regarding his penalty

The Panthers’ team meeting on Saturday turned into a comedy show when head coach Dave Canales surprised his players with an appearance from none other than comedian Keegan-Michael Key, the man behind the infamous “two-pump” celebration sketch. Key addressed running back Rico Dowdle, for his pump as he said.

“Apparently, I guess, the rules that are made up in a comedy sketch do not necessarily reflect the rules of the NFL.”

He then jokingly broke down the mathematics of Dowdle’s penalty: “$14,000 for two pumps equals $7,000 per pump.” Key concluded that if Dowdle chose to do “zero pumps” for his next celebration, the resulting fine would be “zero thousand dollars in a fine.”

The moment took a touching turn when Key introduced his wife, Elle Key, who announced that the couple would be donating $15,000 to Dowdle’s GoFundMe campaign. Dowdle had previously announced that he was using the publicity from his fine to support a good cause, partnering with GoFundMe to direct all proceeds to charity. As of early Saturday afternoon, the fund had already successfully raised over $27,000, easily exceeding the amount of the original fine.

The fine may have been a penalty on paper, but the attention has allowed Dowdle to raise significant funds for his charitable goal. Despite the positive outcome, the team will confirm that Dowdle and his teammates will be sure to keep their hips still during future celebrations.