text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL said Tuesday that Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct when he dropped to his knees in prayer after an interception. 
   
   In this Sept. 29, 2014, photo, Kansas City Chiefs free safety Husain Abdullah, left, gets up in the end zone after dropping to his knees in prayer as New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman,... (Associated Press) 
   
   Kansas City Chiefs free safety Husain Abdullah carries the ball after intercepting a pass and running it back 39 yards for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New... (Associated Press) 
   
   In this Sept. 29, 2014, photo, Kansas City Chiefs free safety Husain Abdullah prays after intercepting a pass and running it back for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against... (Associated Press) 
   
   The league's rule book prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Tuesday that the "officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play." 
   
   The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 41-14 victory over the New England Patriots on Monday night led to criticism on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players such as former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow dropping to one knee in Christian prayer. 
   
   Abdullah is a devout Muslim who took a year off from football to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He said after Monday's game that he knew before he even reached the end zone he would drop to his knees in thankful prayer after intercepting Tom Brady. 
   
   After he slid to the grass in Arrowhead Stadium, yellow flags came flying from the officials. 
   
   "I don't think it was because of the actual prostration that I got the penalty," Abdullah told The Associated Press afterward. "I think it was because of the slide." 
   
   And that's precisely the explanation that Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he received from the game officials. They had no issue with the prayer, Reid said, only the celebratory slide. 
   
   The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil liberties and advocacy organization, issued a statement early Tuesday asking that the NFL take steps in response to the penalty. 
   
   "To prevent the appearance of a double standard, we urge league officials to clarify the policy on prayer and recognize that the official made a mistake in this case," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said. 
   
   Reid didn't agree with the penalty, but he also didn't make much of it. 
   
   "When you go to Mecca," he said, referring to the end zone, "you should have the privilege to slide anywhere you want to slide. We have two priests in here. I think they will vouch for me." 
   
   Indeed, there were two pastors sitting in Reid's postgame news conference. 
   
   Abdullah is in his second year with the Chiefs after spending an entire season away from the game. He decided that, in the prime of his career, he would join his brother Hamza — who also was playing in the NFL at the time — to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Fifth Pillar of Islam is The Hajj, the pilgrimage that all Muslims are supposed to make once in their lifetime. 
   
   Abdullah, who also fasts during Ramadan, told the AP in an interview last year the brothers wanted to make sure they did the pilgrimage while they still had the health and means to go. 
   
   In the case of Hamza, it proved costly. He never got a shot to return to the NFL. 
   
   Husain Abdullah said he didn't expect any repercussions from his penalty Monday night, least of all from his coach. After all, it was Reid who gave him an opportunity to work his way back into the league after he had stepped away. 
   
   "I'm pretty sure he understands who I am, what my faith is," he said. "And again, I think the prostration is all right. It's the slide. Come to a full stop, get down, make the prostration, get up and get out." 
   
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   AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ||||| Husain Abdullah is a devout Muslim. He’s also a safety for the Chiefs, and he made a promise to himself if he ever did find himself in the end zone. 
   
   “If I get a pick, I’m going to prostrate before God in the end zone,” Abdullah said. 
   
   Early in the fourth quarter, Abdullah dropped deep in a zone coverage, read Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s eyes and broke hard, intercepting his pass. 
   
   Abdullah then dashed 39 yards to the end zone, slid on his knees and bowed in prayer. 
   
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   His celebration drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but the NFL said Tuesday that Abdullah should not have been penalized. 
   
   The league’s rule book prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Tuesday that “the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.” 
   
   There are exceptions made for religious expressions, such as Tim Tebow’s prayer while kneeling. But Abdullah may have drawn the flag by sliding with both knees into the prayer. 
   
   “For me, I just got a little too excited,” Abdullah said. “I think it was for the slide.” 
   
   The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil liberties and advocacy organization, issued a statement early Tuesday asking that the NFL take steps in response to the penalty. 
   
   “To prevent the appearance of a double standard, we urge league officials to clarify the policy on prayer and recognize that the official made a mistake in this case,” CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said. 
   
   Game officials didn’t say anything to Abdullah after the play, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid did when Abdullah came to the sideline. 
   
   “He said, ‘You can’t slide,’” Abdullah said. 
   
   Although Reid isn’t sure that should be the case. 
   
   “When you go to Mecca, you should be able to slide wherever you want,” Reid said after the game. “We’ve got two priests in here. They’d probably vouch for me.” 
   
   The interception — the sixth of Abdullah’s career — was still a special moment despite the penalty, which sparked controversy on social media. 
   
   If the NFL tries to fine @HAbdullah39 for his TD celebration there's going to be some problems. — CJ LaBoy (@CJLaBoy) September 30, 2014 
   
   Abdullah has a special place in mind for the football he intercepted from Brady, a future Hall of Famer. 
   
   “That’s nice,” Abdullah said. “That’s definitely going up in the house. That’s a ball that’s definitely going up in the game room area, so it was amazing.” 
   
   The Associated Press contributed to this report.
target: – The NFL is getting quicker with its mea culpas: Amid another growing controversy, the league admitted its mistake today in penalizing a player over a Muslim prayer on the field last night, reports the Kansas City Star. In the game, referees flagged Chiefs player Husain Abdullah, a devout Muslim, after he slid to his knees for a prayer after scoring a touchdown. Immediately, the league began taking flak: If, say, Tim Tebow, can pray in the end zone and not be penalized, why not a Muslim player? Earlier today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the NFL to clarify its rules to "prevent the appearance of a double-standard," reports AP. Hours later, the NFL said the penalty was, in fact, a blown call. While league rules prevent players from celebrating while on the ground, there is an exception: The "officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play," says an NFL spokesperson. Abdullah, for his part, wasn't making a big deal of it. (The NFL lost a legal fight today with the FCC over game blackouts.)