Praising the Lord Is a 15-Yard Penalty

Even on the rare occasions when the Raiders win the battle ... they still lose. Oakland dropped their third game in four tries Sunday against Houston. And on the way to their latest defeat cornerback Chris Johnson may have been a victim of religious persecution*. During the game. By the officials.

After intercepting a Matt Schaub pass Johnson fell to his knees, pointed skyward to give thanks to The Big Guy for his good fortune, and was promptly flagged for his belief that there was a Big Guy who would actually allow the Raiders to exist in their current form.

Video after the jump (includes some naughty language).



The NFL will tell you that Johnson was penalized for secular excessive celebration. Johnson is confused by the decision.

"I'm just getting on my knees giving my respect to God," Johnson told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I don't see how that's a personal foul or anything like that."

But as Chris Chase points out on Shutdown Corner, the officials weren't denying Johnson his inalienable rights, they were enforcing the rules as currently written.

He actually stated exactly why it's a personal foul in the first sentence and the reasoning has nothing to do with religion. A rule instituted in 2006 prohibits NFL players from celebrating in the end zone by "going to the ground to celebrate a touchdown or using the ball as a prop." The instant Johnson fell to his knees he violated the rule. After he did that, Johnson could have read scripture, done a silent prayer or helped an old lady across the street and it wouldn't have mattered.

Here's the thing: Johnson intercepted a pass in the Raiders' end zone, he didn't actually score a touchdown. I'm guessing this rule was introduced to alleviate all the post-touchdown jamborees, not to penalize anybody who happened to be standing in the end zone when they decided to celebrate a play that didn't directly result in six points.

Whatever, Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis is unimpressed.

"That was ridiculous," said Ellis, who runs a team Bible study on Mondays. "Hey man, that guy is a Christian man. He's just thanking his God for blessing him with a play."

Oh, and apparently NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira agrees (from Sept. 2008): "The whole issue is that you can't go to the ground while on your knees or with your hand or anything. There's only going to be one time you're going to be allowed to go to your knee after you score like that and that's when you want to praise the Lord. If you do that then I'm going to allow that because I do not want to be struck by lightning, I promise you that."

Incoming.

* exaggeration