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The NFL is frequently referred to as the “No Fun League” thanks to the various rules seemingly designed to punish players for having the nerve to enjoy themselves on the gridiron, and while it’s fair to be frustrated with reactionary tweaks stemming from some over-the-top touchdown celebrations, it’s kind of hard to blame officials for banning one move after an incident involving Jimmy Graham.
Rob Gronkowski was known for deploying his signature “Gronk Spike” after punching the ball into the end zone, but you could argue he was following in the footsteps of another tight end who was known for their trademark touchdown celebration: Tony Gonzalez.
The Chiefs legend harnessed his 6’5″ frame to play both football and basketball during his time at Cal, and even though the former Golden Bear eventually took his talents to the NFL, he frequently capped off his TDs by paying tribute to his former pastime by forcefully dunking the ball over the crossbar of the goal post (which—like a basketball hoop—is located exactly ten feet off of the ground).
Gonzales revolutionized the tight end position after Kansas City selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, and it’s only natural that plenty of other guys followed his example and went out of their way to emulate the man who is arguably the greatest TE of all time.
That includes Jimmy Graham, who kicked off his NFL career with the Saints in 2010 a few years before he essentially forced the NFL to update its rulebook after a celebration went south.
Jimmy Graham managed to bend a goal post with a post-TD dunk that made the NFL ban the move
On November 21, 2013, the Atlanta Falcons welcomed Graham and the Saints to the Georgia Dome for a Thursday Night Football showdown where New Orleans ultimately walked away with a 17-13 victory.
It was a solid game for Graham, who snagged five passes from Drew Brees for a grand total of 100 yards—which included a 44-yard touchdown he took to the house with around 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter to help give the Saints a 14-10 lead.
After crossing the goal line, the TE headed toward the goal post to celebrate in his usual manner, but things went slightly awry after the 6’7″, 265 lb. big man grabbed the crossbar with both hands after jamming the ball through the uprights that were left noticeably crooked as a result.
The game was briefly delayed to allow members of the maintenance crew to come out with a ladder to straighten out the goal post, and while it didn’t really have a major impact on the contest, plenty of people speculated it was only a matter of time until the NFL would decide to crack down on the move to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Those prophecies were realized when the league did exactly that in the wake of the Super Bowl in 2014. It took Graham a little while to adjust to the new rule, but it’s safe to assume the $30,000 fine he received for dunking on the goal post in the ensuing preseason gave him some extra motivation to figure out a new way to celebrate.
The ban hasn’t necessarily stopped other players from getting their dunk on; Travis Kelce paid tribute to Gonzalez with one of his own during a game against the Jets in 2020, but he was eventually forced to fork over $12,500 as a result.