The National Football League said Husain Abdullah of the Kansas City Chiefs was mistakenly penalized when he knelt to pray after scoring a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter of a game on Monday night, Abdullah, a safety with the Chiefs who is Muslim, intercepted a pass by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and returned it for a touchdown. After he entered the end zone, he slid on his knees and bowed forward with his head touching the turf.
He was given a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
An N.F.L. spokesman said Tuesday that Abdullah should not have been penalized. 'Officiating mechanic is not to flag player who goes to ground for religious reasons,' Michael Signora, a league spokesman, said on Twitter.
Players routinely gesticulate and thank God after scoring touchdowns. Most prominently, Tim Tebow, the former Broncos quarterback knelt on one knee after scoring.
Players, however, can be penalized for celebrating while on the ground.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, had asked the N.F.L. to clarify its policies 'to prevent the appearance of a double standard.'
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