NFL: Brown, Dolphins teammates fined $10,000 for TD dance
By Aaron Kuriloff
Bloomberg News Service
Running back Ronnie Brown and two Miami Dolphins lineman were fined $10,000 each for performing a choreographed dance to celebrate a touchdown during last week's 17-10 win over the San Diego Chargers.
The routine violated the National Football League's rule against premeditated, coordinated celebrations by two or more players, league spokesman Corry Rush said in an interview today. No penalty flags were thrown at the time.
A video available on NFL.com shows Brown rushing five yards for a touchdown, then meeting tackle Vernon Carey and guard Ikechuku Ndukwe in the end zone to perform the dance.
Mike Pereira, the league's vice-president of officiating, said in a portion of the NFL Network's "Total Access" containing the clip that the players should have been penalized for the dance.
Brown told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper that he practiced the dance with the startling line the previous week and said tackle Jake Long dropped out to avoid a fine.