Apparently, no suck luck.
The Carolina Panthers running back indicated on social media Wednesday that the NFL will indeed dock him for his two (but not three) pumps in the end zone after celebrating his second touchdown Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in a game eventually won 16-13 by the Panthers.
‘Starting a go fund me,’ Dowdle wrote on X, interspersing a few good-spirited emojis.
‘(T)hey got me.’
By NFL standards, the Panthers’ breakout star is vastly underpaid, his one-year deal with Carolina set to pay him $2.75 million … less the cut the NFL is taking for the 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Dowdle incurred for his impersonation of McCringleberry, the central character of a ‘Key & Peele’ sketch that mocked the league’s historic tendencies to suppress player celebrations.
Dowdle, who ran for nearly 1,100 yards with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 and currently ranks third in the NFL with 735 rushing yards − despite starting just three games since he took over the lead role from Chuba Hubbard − punctuated his fourth TD of the season while surrounded by teammates. He thrusted two pumps, a la McCringleberry, whose propensity to test a fictional rule that didn’t permit three pumps would draw the ire of officials.
Dowdle was surprised when he was penalized, holding up two fingers as he left the field for the sideline amid a mistake that contributed to a missed extra point by Ryan Fitzgerald. While realizing the gravity of his goof, Dowdle subsequently made up for it − rumbling for a 19-yard gain on the Panthers’ final possession to set Fitzgerald up for a game-winning 49-yard field goal as time expired.
‘From my understanding and everything I’ve learned, we go over stuff like this every week in the meeting room. I definitely think you’re supposed to get two pumps,’ Dowdle said following the game.
‘Hopefully, I don’t get a fine.’
Oops.
Dowdle’s infraction comes at a time when the league has emphasized good sportsmanship. However the entire episode has generally been met with good fun, actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key, who portrayed McCringleberry, expressing faux outrage on Instagram on Sunday night.
‘Rico! Man, you got robbed − you only did two pumps,’ said a flabbergasted Key, tongue firmly placed in cheek.
‘I’m sorry, man. Now I’m gonna have to write a new sketch.’
‘We’ve got to be smarter in that situation,’ said Panthers coach Dave Canales while in a forgiving mood Monday.
‘We’ve got to make sure that we understand the rules. I might have to call up Keegan-Michael Key to get clarification on that part of it, but from what I understand, any kind of movement that way, any weapons, or all that stuff is going to get flagged. We’ve got to be smarter about that.’
Now Dowdle has learned a lesson McCringleberry never did. Not yet anyway.
