NFL lives up to its infamous nickname by hitting Rico Dowdle with news he didn’t want to hear, but he’s turned it into a good cause
It’s been quite the eventual past few days for Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle with a mix of both good and bad news.Last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, Dowdle earned the opportunity to once again be the Panthers starter in the backfield and get a large share of the workload. He turned that […]
It’s been quite the eventual past few days for Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle with a mix of both good and bad news.
Last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, Dowdle earned the opportunity to once again be the Panthers starter in the backfield and get a large share of the workload. He turned that opportunity into a 130-yard, two touchdown performance.
However, Dowdle was dealing with some cramping once again during the game and on Wednesday was held out of practice with a quad injury. Thankfully, he returned to practice on Thursday as a limited participant.
“He was just working through some stuff during the game,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. “Wanna be smart about it. We’re counting on him this weekend. And so, wanted to make sure that we get him on the right track.”
That’s only the first of the bad news Dowdle got this week, although it seems his practice availability is trending up after Thursday. Dowdle also got hit with news from the NFL that he was hoping he would avoid, but he’s turned that bad news into a good cause.
Rico Dowdle officially fined by the NFL for Week 9 celebration
The No Fun League is back at it again and fined Dowdle a hefty amount for his Week 9 touchdown celebration against the Packers.
Dowdle did the “two-pump” celebration made famous by the Key and Peele Hingle McCringleberry skit after his third quarter touchdown. Dowdle was under the impression that “two-pumps” was a legal celebration, but he was instead hit with a unsportsmanlike conduct and has now been fined $14,491 by the NFL.
Dowdle turned the bad news into an opportunity to do good and started a GoFundMe to raise money for the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. The fine money itself goes to a good cause as well with all fines collected going to the NFL Foundation and the Professional Athletes Foundation.
According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Dowdle has already raised $24,000 through his GoFundMe page. As for the fine, Dowdle’s agent David Canter noted they plan to appeal the fine, which will be assigned to one of the league’s current appeals officers, Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson. If the player’s fine is rescinded, no money will be taken from his check.
Dowdle isn’t the first player to receive a fine for the Hingle McCringleberry celebration. Back in Week 5, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Thomas was fined $4,814 for a “three-pump” celebration, so it’s a little extreme to see the amount Dowdle was fined for.
By comparison, New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a “one-pump” celebration in Week 9 and was not flagged by the officials and so far hasn’t been fined by the league. Clearly the NFL is trying to send a statement here.
“We’ve got to be smarter in that situation,” Canales jokingly added. “We’ve got to make sure that we understand the rules. I might have to call up Keegan-Michael Key to get clarification on that part of it, but from what I understand, any kind of movement that way, any weapons, or all that stuff is going to get flagged. We’ve got to be smarter about that.”
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