ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after scoring a touchdown by jumping into a Salvation Army red kettle during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

By now, you have seen the clip of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott jumping into The Salvation Army bucket. In a rare moment of common sense, the NFL decided not to fine Elliott for the touchdown celebration.

The NFL definitely did the right thing by not fining Elliott. But that decision isn’t without its consequences. New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, two players who have been fined for celebrations, already expressed their frustration about the inconsistency of the rule.

While fining Elliott would have given the NFL more bad publicity in a year that’s been full of it, Beckham and Bell have a point. “Pandora’s Box” has been opened. By not fining Elliott, the NFL has now just opened itself up to anyone else who gets fined after this and claim they shouldn’t be penalized because Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t fined. Thus, the precedent was set. This is exactly why some leagues make an unpopular decision to fine someone for something completely trivial. I’m not saying I agree with that decision, but that’s why.

Despite that, there is a way for the NFL to make lemonade out of these lemons. Use the Ezekiel Elliott play as the push needed to do away with stupid fines and penalties for fun touchdown celebrations that most fans want to see anyway, and at least attempt to shred the stereotype of the “No Fun League.”

On his show yesterday, Rich Eisen made a great point about the state of the NFL in regards to excessive celebration penalties and the ensuing fines that come as a result.

Some have the belief that because he’s the face of the NFL Network, Rich Eisen is some sort of “PR mouthpiece” of the NFL. This is clearly Eisen’s own view that doesn’t necessarily represent his employer.

Eisen is completely right. Put a limit on what you can do or make a time limit on the celebration, but loosen up the rules and actually have some fun, which is a foreign word to the NFL.

The issue wasn’t that the NFL fined or didn’t fine Ezekiel Elliott, it’s that everyone from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to Cris Collinsworth to Ezekiel Elliott himself to the fans, all assumed Elliott was getting fined. When that’s the case, the NFL loses the PR battle before it even begins and that is a huge problem.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp