Tag: kettle

Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott fined $13K apiece for latest red kettle celebration

Elliott said he tried to top the tight ends’ Whac-A-Mole stunt from the previous game, then spent the week spotlighting the Salvation Army. | From @ToddBrock24f7

For the second week in a row, multiple Cowboys players have drawn monetary fines from the league for using AT&T Stadium’s Salvation Army kettle as a touchdown celebration prop.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott were hit this time, for their stunt during last Sunday’s fourth-quarter explosion of points against Indianapolis.

The NFL fined both players $13,261 for unsportsmanlike conduct, just a week after the Cowboys’ four tight ends were fined a grand total of $27,094 for playing Whac-A-Mole in the signature kettle after a touchdown on Thanksgiving Day.

In the Week 13 win, Elliott scored on a four-yard end-zone plunge and proceeded to race to the kettle, motioning for Prescott to follow him. Elliott jumped into the kettle and hid as Prescott stood outside and cranked an imaginary handle. Then Elliott rose up like a jack-in-the-box and performed his customary “Feed Me” pantomime.

The celebration- like the tight ends’ Whac-A-Mole game previously- failed to draw a penalty flag during the game.

“I just had to come up with something to try to top the guys from last week,” Elliott told reporters following the 54-19 win. “I don’t know if we did. It’s kind of hard to beat the Whac-A-Mole.”

But Elliott continued to call attention to the charity over the next few days. The two-time rushing champ visited a Salvation Army warehouse on Wednesday to see the holiday gift-giving operation in action and presented a $50,000 check to help out.

The seventh-year veteran also took to Twitter, asking his followers to give by making their own $21 donations to match his jersey number.

“This is phenomenal,” a spokesperson said of Elliott’s contributions and celebrations, which started in his rookie season. “When he jumps into the kettle, people write us checks. It’s unbelievable. I don’t think he could have imagined in 2016 the ripple effect of this.”

Elliott explained that whether it’s through giving his own time on days off, encouraging fans to chip in themselves, using the recognizable red kettle during games to spotlight the organization’s holiday presence… or getting fined by the league for doing so, he’s happy to make the Salvation Army the star of the season.

“Definitely,” he said this week. “The things that The Salvation Army does around this community can’t be matched. Anytime we can bring awareness, anytime we can help them out, it means a lot.”

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Cowboys tight ends fear monetary fine for Whac-A-Mole stunt, Dak Prescott promises help

The Cowboys’ tight ends came up with a TD celebration that could draw a fine; Dak Prescott told them they would get help if it happens. | From @ToddBrock24f7

After a sloppy first half that looked like an awkward Thanksgiving get-together, the Cowboys tight ends took over after intermission, playing the role of the fun uncles who assume control of game night and make sure everyone leaves with a smile.

Dalton Schultz and Peyton Hendershot scored all three of the Cowboys’ second-half touchdowns, while Schultz and Jake Ferguson combined to catch all seven of their total targets from quarterback Dak Prescott and contribute 88 receiving yards in the 28-20 win over the New York Giants.

By the end of the evening, it felt like the tight ends- along with fourth-stringer Sean McKeon- were simply toying with the Giants. So it was perhaps fitting that the foursome ganged up for a group celebration after Hendershot’s two-yard rushing score that kicked it old school all the way back to the Chuck E. Cheese days.

Ferguson, the rookie out of Wisconsin, says he came up with the Whac-A-Mole idea upon seeing the iconic red kettles in the end zones AT&T Stadium.

“I think we just saw the kettle and we were brainstorming in the tight end room, like, ‘What can we do? I think we can pop up and down.'” Ferguson explained. “I was like, ‘What about if all three of us are in there, we just play Whac-A-Mole?’ Because we knew Peyton had that play in for a couple of weeks, and we knew he was going to get in there and have an opportunity.”

That all four tight ends were on the field together made the moment even better. The celebration, of course, recalled a mid-December game in 2016 when running back Ezekiel Elliott leaped into the kettle after scoring on a run versus Tampa Bay. He drew a 15-yard penalty.

“I definitely have to give them their props,” Elliott said Thursday night of his teammates’ more elaborate sequel. “They topped me. They topped my kettle celebrations. I’m a little jealous they didn’t let me in on it. But I love those tight ends; we’ve got a hell of a tight end room. All four of them are playing great ball.”

In 2018, Elliott upped the ante by dropping $21 cash in the kettle after a Thanksgiving Day touchdown against Washington. Later in the same game, he picked up Prescott and deposited him in the bucket, too. He was flagged again and subsequently fined $13,369 by the league for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Thursday’s new kettle celebration wasn’t flagged on the field. And the team’s leaders told the tight ends not to worry about any monetary punishments that may be levied.

“It was great,” Prescott told reporters of the Whac-A-Mole stunt. “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 are up two touchdowns. We have a couple of guys that can help with the fines, so go for it.'”

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