In a holiday tradition like no other, the Salvation Army cauldron is fired up at AT&T Stadium during Dallas Cowboys games.
But it was a Cowboys opponent who struck first Monday night.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown caught a screen pass from Joe Burrow during Monday’s game against the Cowboys and threaded it down the left sideline for a 19-yard touchdown. He celebrated by targeting the cauldron behind the end zone.
Officials rained on his celebration and called him out of bounds before he reached the end zone. Brown was miffed that his score and celebration were negated.
But Brown didn’t go out of bounds. The Bengals disputed the call on the field and the replay review overturned the call on the field. Brown’s touchdown was good. But he’ll never regain the full joy of his celebration of mocking a centuries-old Cowboys tradition.
The cauldron jump dates back several seasons, in the prime of Ezekiel Elliott’s first stint with the Cowboys. Elliott repeatedly jumped into the cauldron after scores, a routine that earned multiple fines from the NFL that Elliott happily paid.
The cauldron has become a target for Cowboys opponents, who have come up with their own creative touchdown celebrations to play against Elliott’s. Unfortunately for Brown, his celebration was cut short by a bad phone call.
The good news for Brown is that his touchdown gave the Bengals a 14-10 lead. Now he’s waiting to see if the NFL issues a fine or decides to let it slide.
