ARLINGTON, Texas -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman got in the holiday spirit Sunday, celebrating a touchdown off an interception against the Dallas Cowboys by leaping into a giant Salvation Army kettle at AT&T Stadium.
Coleman said the celebration was planned.
"I was telling the guys, if I catch a pick-six in that end zone, I'm gonna jump in the kettle and throw the ball out," he said after the Seahawks' 21-12 win. "It don't matter. I was just telling them, that's what's going to happen. Everybody was telling me I was going to catch a pick, and it came to me. I give God the glory."
Coleman drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the celebration, which mirrored one done by Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott last season. Elliott wasn't fined for the celebration.
Elliott was the intended target of a third-quarter dump-off pass that Dak Prescott overthrew. Coleman caught it and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown that gave Seattle a 14-9 lead. With the penalty, the Cowboys began their ensuing possession at their 35-yard line and ended that drive with a field goal that cut Seattle's lead to 14-12.
That's part of the reason coach Pete Carroll didn't appreciate Coleman's celebration.
"I was disappointed in that, just because it takes away the momentum of the score," Carroll said. "We already know that's not OK. In the moment, he was so excited, he screwed up. I didn't talk to him because I really didn't think he'd do it again. Everybody else hollered at him about it, so he knows."
Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: "As long as it did show the Salvation Army and reminds us what time of year we're in and all the good they do, then I'm all for it. I didn't notice it, so you're bringing my attention to it, but that's great for the Salvation Army."
The Seahawks acquired Coleman in a preseason trade with the New England Patriots in exchange for a seventh-round pick. He's been their nickelback for much of the season. He caught flak from Richard Sherman and other teammates after his fairly non-descript celebration of a pick-six against Indianapolis in Week 4.
"Earlier in the season, they told me I didn't have a celebration and I needed to work on it," Coleman said. "That's the first thing that came to my mind was, 'Oh, we in Dallas. I see the kettle. Oh yeah, it's about time for me to do something.'"