Rico Dowdle runs in the Panthers TD (0:19)
Rico Dowdle powers his way through the defense into the end zone to give Panthers a 7-0 lead. (0:19)
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ESPN.com
Nov 9, 2025, 02:26 PM ET
Rico Dowdle and Aaron Jones are apparently taking Hingle McCringleberry’s lesson to heart.
Dowdle was fined $14,491 for a pelvic thrust celebration during the Carolina Panthers‘ 16-13 win against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. He appeared to imitate the celebration of Keegan-Michael Key’s character Hingle McCringleberry from “Key & Peele,” who is penalized after a similar celebration in a football sketch.
Crucially, McCringleberry had a flag thrown after three thrusts. Dowdle limited himself to two, but as Key himself pointed out during a recent video call with the Panthers, the NFL’s rules are not the same as in the sketch. Key and his wife, Elle, also donated $15,000 to Dowdle’s charity GoFundMe that the running back set up after the fine, with money going to the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina.
After scoring a touchdown on Sunday, Dowdle posed as if he was about to do a McCringleberry celebration — then stopped himself, cannily avoiding a fine.
Zero pumps@BudLight | #ForTheCelly pic.twitter.com/FbIULA84ZJ
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 9, 2025
Jones did the same thing during the Minnesota Vikings‘ game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Nope not today 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/YqfCD4PMZk
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 9, 2025
Could this be the start of a trend? We’ll see if any other players follow suit.
