Santonio Holmes Fined $10K for Super Bowl Celebration

Santonio Holmes could have, in theory, cost the Pittsburgh Steelers a Super Bowl victory. After making an amazing catch against the Cardinals a few weeks ago, he imitated LeBron James in the celebratory aftermath.

He was not penalized (but probably could have been) and the Steelers ended up winning. The meaningless aftermath has been handed down from the NFL, and it will cost Holmes $10,000. (Update: LeBron calls the fine "disgusting.")

Within the past few days, Holmes received notification from the NFL that the league was fining him $10,000 for using the ball as a prop, a league source said Wednesday.

Though Holmes' violation did not draw a 15-yard penalty that could have been crucial for Arizona, the league admitted it was reviewing the Steelers wide receiver's transgression. And once it did, it found that he violated the rule for using the ball as a prop.

See, this story is beaten nearly dead; it's why no one's really chatting about Holmes. After all, the Steelers won, the Cardinals lost and there's nothing that will change that. (You hear that ref-haters? NOTHING.) But, yes, it's still annoying that the league deemed he violated a rule that clearly (right?) should have resulted in a penalty.

All of that is mainly to say that the league needs to re-evaluate how they handle touchdown celebrations. I understand the point of the current setup was to eliminate any "questionable" situations (goodwill on behalf of the player, yet a clear abuse of the rules, etc.) but if the referees in the biggest game of the season can whiff on that rule, is it really working out well? I think not.

Touchdown Celebrations

Name: "LeBron Tribute" | Date: Feb. 1, 2009
Holmes celebrated the Steelers' go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII with a nod to NBA superstar LeBron James. He was fined $10,000 for the celebration - but the Steelers weren't penalized on the play.

James Borchuck, St. Petersburg Times/AP

Name: "Shoe Shine" | Date: Dec. 14, 2008
Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss is fined $10,000 for his touchdown celebration against the Bengals in which he shined his shoes with a towel.

Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Name: "Pregnant Patriot" | Date: Dec. 7, 2008
New England tight end Benjamin Watson was fined $10,000 for using the football to pantomime pregnancy during a celebration against the Seahawks. Watson was giving a shout-out to his expectant wife and the couple's yet-to-be born daughter.

Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

Name: "Take Me to Jail" | Date: Nov. 16, 2008
After scoring against the Jaguars, Titans receiver Brandon Jones flipped the football to a referee and then dropped to his knees and put both hands behind his helmet - making it look like he was being arrested. The NFL fined Jones $15,000 for his arresting stunt.

Doug Benc, Getty Images

Name: "High Step" | Date: 1993-2006
One of the true innovators in NFL history, "Prime Time" Deion Sanders would continually hold the ball outstretched and high-step into the end zone whenever he had the opportunity.

Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

Name: "The Dirty Bird" | Date: 1996-97
Jamal Anderson made this dance popular at Falcons games. He was well-known for his "Dirty Bird" touchdown celebration, in which he flapped his arms like wings and gyrated in the crowd's direction.

Vincent Muzik, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

Name: "Love Boat" | Date: October 30, 2005
Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith wasn't afraid to rub a team disgrace in the faces of the Minnesota Vikings. Smith rowed an imaginary boat to mock the "Love Boat" scandal, which centered around an alleged sex party on Lake Minnetonka with seventeen key members of the Vikings.

Craig Jones, Getty Images

Name: "The Worm" | Date: 2004
Former Chiefs receiver Johnnie Morton perfected "The Worm" during his time in Kansas City. Though the move is difficult, Morton always looked smooth doing it.

Charlie Riedel, AP

Name: "The Ray Lewis" | Date: 2004
After Terrell Owens and Ray Lewis exchanged verbal jabs at each other, Owens would later mock Lewis after catching a touchdown pass with the same dance that Lewis popularized during his career.

Joe Robbins, Getty Images

Name: "The Ickey Shuffle" | Date: 1988-1991
This dance was a signature move for running back Ickey Woods. It involved three hops to the left, three to the right, three hops back, a spike of the ball, a finger twirl and a "Woo! Woo!"

Getty Images