KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a significant on-field, but non-football, event, the NFL public relations machinery responded quickly to the 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that was called in Monday night’s game against Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah.

After intercepting a pass by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and returning it for 39 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Abdullah slid on both knees in the end zone and then knelt and bent over in prayer position.

Abdullah is a devout Muslim who follows the rules of his religion including spending several moments each day kneeling on his prayer rug. He mimicked that at the end of his slide, and the game officials hit him with the 15-yard penalty.

The flag ended up causing no problems for the Chiefs in their 41-14 victory, but the league was quick to establish that the officials’ reaction to the incident was not correct.

The league statement read: “Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct following his fourth quarter touchdown. Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (d) states ‘players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground.’ However, the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.”

After the game, Abdullah said that he promised himself, “If I get a pick, I’m going to prostrate before God in the end zone.”

Abdullah did not play the 2012 NFL season, and he joined his family for a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia that fall. He returned last season and signed with the Chiefs.

“When you go to Mecca, you should be able to slide wherever you want,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game.