Ezekiel Elliott Salvation Army fine: Revisiting the viral 2018 Thanksgiving game celebration

Bryan Murphy

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Ezekiel Elliott Salvation Army fine: Revisiting the viral 2018 Thanksgiving game celebration image

If someone makes their way into the Salvation Army pots in Dallas on Thanksgiving this year, it won't be Ezekiel Elliott. 

The Cowboys running back back went viral in years past for using the giant red bucket along the end zones at AT&T Stadium as part of his touchdown celebrations. It started back in Elliott's rookie season, and became part of NFL Thanksgiving lore during the 2018 campaign. 

While post-score theatrics in football are entertaining, the NFL doesn't necessarily view them in the same way. The league has cracked down over the last few years on excessive celebrations and players using props after scoring touchdowns. Elliott's use of the Salvation Army kettle was not an exception to the rule, as the running back has been forced to pay up in the past for bringing fun to the field. 

MORE: Why do the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving?

Here is more on Elliott's Salvation Army celebrations and how much he has been fined:

Ezekiel Elliott Salvation Army celebration

While many associate Elliott's Salvation Army celebration with Thanksgiving, his first encounter with the kettle did not take place on Turkey Day. 

Elliott first used the Salvation Army prop during a 2016 "Sunday Night Football" game in December against the Buccaneers. During the second quarter of Dallas' win over Tampa Bay, the running back, who was a rookie at the time, punched home a two-yard run, and proceeded to celebrate by hopping into the kettle, crouching down and rising to applause from the AT&T Stadium crowd. 

With the score, Elliott broke the franchise rookie record for rushing touchdowns. He admitted after the game that he had already planned on hopping into the big red bucket if he found his way into the end zone. 

The Salvation Army celebration got the Thanksgiving treatment two years later. During Dallas' holiday game against Washington in 2018, Elliott did not deposit himself into the kettle after a first quarter touchdown. Instead, he pulled out $21 to "donate" instead. 

He wasn't done making Thanksgiving Day donations. In the fourth quarter, QB Dak Prescott extended the Cowboys' lead with a five-yard rushing score. Elliott took it upon himself to put his quarterback into the kettle, making his second deposit of the evening. 

MORE: How John Madden started NFL's Turkey Leg tradition

Finally, the last time the cameras caught Elliott in the pot came during the 2022 season. During a December "Sunday Night Football" blowout win for the Cowboys over the Colts, the running back rushed in for a four-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

After finding the end zone, Elliott then found the pot, hopping in and hiding. Prescott came over and helped with the celebration, pretending to crank Elliott out of the kettle like a Jack-in-the-Box. Once the back re-appeared, he gave his iconic "Feed Me" motion with his hands. 

Elliott's celebration may have come a week after Thanksgiving, but the Salvation Army bucket saw action on the holiday. In the week prior, Dalton Schultz used the kettle to play Whack-A-Mole with the rest of the Dallas tight ends. 

Cowboys fans haven't seen Elliott in the kettle since, and may not again. The running back was not re-signed by the team this past offseason, and he could have played in his final game as Cowboy. While there is always a chance that Elliott goes back to AT&T Stadium as a visitor, the likelihood that he uses the prop as a member of the away team feels slim.

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It is not without precedent, though. In a Christmas Eve game last year, Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith scored a touchdown, then pretended to pull on a ski mask, kick down a door, and rob the Salvation Army kettle. 

How much was Ezekiel Elliott fined for Salvation Army celebration?

The first time Elliott used the Salvation Army bucket, it did not come at a financial cost. His viral 2016 clip resulted in a 15-yard penalty for using a "prop" in a touchdown celebration, however, the league did not fine the running back. 

If the league had, both Elliott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were ready. The pair each stated that if a fine were to come to the running back, the two would use the opportunity to promote the Salvation Army. 

"I think the Salvation Army should give him the highest award," Jones said after the game. "My dream would be for the NFL to really fine me a lot of money and I’ll take them to the Supreme Court and we’ll get the Salvation Army more attention than anybody can get them. So let’s go."

"I’m going to match whatever they fine me and donate it to the Salvation Army," Elliott said. 

MORE: John Madden's career record, winning percentage & more about legendary coach

While the opportunity to match the fine never came to fruition, Elliott took it upon himself to donate to the foundation, giving the Salvation Army $21,000. The organization said that they saw donations rise 61% after his celebration, so even if Elliott did not use his own money, he used his platform on the national stage to bring awareness to the Salvation Army. 

As for the antics that followed, Elliott did not face the same fate. After the 2018 Dallas win over Washington, the league cracked down and handed the running back a fine of $13,369 for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of dropping both money and Prescott into the pot. 

Similarly in 2022, Elliott did not avoid discipline from the NFL after using the Salvation Army kettle for a celebration. Both Elliott and Prescott were fined $13,261 for unsportsmanlike conduct. It came just a week after the Cowboys' four tight ends were fined a grand total of $27,094 for playing Whack-A-Mole in the pot on Thanksgiving Day. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.