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A Muslim player was penalized for dropping to his knees in prayer after scoring a touchdown.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he dropped to the ground and performed the Sajdah in the fourth quarter of last night's game against the New England Patriots.

Abdullah had just intercepted a pass from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and returned it for a touchdown. 

Michael Signora, the NFL Vice President of Football Communications, wrote on Twitter, 'Abdullah should not have been penalized. Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons.' 

The rule that referees claimed Abdullah violated reads, 'Prolonged or excessive celebrations or demonstrations by an individual player. Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground. A celebration or demonstration shall be deemed excessive or prolonged if a player continues to celebrate or demonstrate after a warning from an official.' 

According to Mike Pereira however, the former Vice President of Officiating in the NFL, players who pray after scoring a touchdown are not in violation of this rule.

Pereira even explicitly said as much on his Twitter account in 2013, writing, 'you're not penalized for going to the ground to give praise after a TD.' 

Players praying after major plays and touchdowns has long been common in the NFL. In fact, former quarterback Tim Tebow prayed so frequently during games that the act of kneeling with one's head bowed and an arm resting on bent knee became known as 'Tebowing.'

Tebow, who is a Christian, was never once penalized by the NFL for this action. 

Abdullah, who fasts during Ramadan and even sat out the entire 2012 season so he and his brother, former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah, could visit Mecca during the Hajj in October, has yet to respond to the controversy.

Penalty or not, Abdullah's touchdown still helped carry the Chiefs to a 41 - 14 victory over the Patriots.

This of course comes at a time when the NFL is already under fire following their botched treatment of numerous abuse scandals involving players including Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy, to name just a few.