Grabbing one's crotch is de rigueur for musicians in performance. Doing such in the NFL is verboten. Just as Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.
There were many things Lynch could have done to celebrate a 79-yard touchdown run last week against the Arizona Cardinals. He chose to handle himself badly, and league officials reportedly saw red.
Result: Lynch will remove his hand from his privates and put it in his wallet, from which he will fork over $11,050, according to NBC Sports.
This is amusing: While game officials these days tend to throw penalty flags on any and all forms of celebratory action, they didn't do so when Lynch left viewers blushing.
League officials decided Lynch had performed an unsportsmanlike act. Hence the fine.
Observers note he performed a similar act in the 2010 playoffs and wasn't punished. Admit it, though: His back flip into the end zone was impressive.
While Lynch's run was outstanding and likely among the top highlights of the 2014 NFL regular season, expect his crotch grab to be edited out of league video.
The Seahawks end their regular season on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams with a chance to clinch the NFC West and first overall seed in the conference playoff field.