At first, Rico Dowdle was joking about needing your help. But when that help came, Dowdle used it for good.
After the NFL fined the Panthers running back over $14,000 because of the touchdown celebration he pulled out during the Carolina Panthers’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he set up a GoFundMe in jest.
However, it has already raised more than $20,000.
So Dowdle directed all the proceeds toward the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina — a program that helps adoption.
“It’s a charity for kids and foster kids in homes that are in need of a family, and it just so happened to be national adoption month,” Dowdle said Thursday at his locker after practice.
Dowdle said his first tweet about doing a GoFundMe was meant to be a joke about raising money to cover his fine, but “it turned into something much bigger and for a greater cause” after GoFundMe representatives contacted his agency about raising money for children in North Carolina.
The running back signed a one-year deal worth $2.75 million with the Panthers prior to this season, so he was never really struggling to meet the financial constraints for this punishment. But fans were motivated to help out because of the entertainment Dowdle provided with his celebration — a double-thrust in reference to the famous “Key & Peele” skit — and his performance — Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a significant 16-13 upset win against the Packers. The 27-year-old has been a revelation for the Panthers this season, averaging 5.6 yards per carry with five total scores (four rushing, one receiving), helping Carolina to a 5-4 record.
Plus, in Keegan-Michael Key’s perspective, Dowdle shouldn’t have been fined because he didn’t even fully mimic the celebration, keeping it two pumps instead of three.
“You got robbed,” Key said, in response. “You only did two pumps. I’m sorry, man.”
So a situation that started with a fun celebration, then turned sullen because the NFL issued a fine, has spun back to being positive as fans played along with Dowdle’s joke and the running back used the funds for a good cause.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
