Jets star Isaiah Crowell wins endorsement deal after being fined by NFL for rubbing football on butt
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Jets running back Isaiah Crowell was fined $13,369 by the NFL for this crude touchdown celebration. (AP)
New York Jets running back Isaiah Crowell ran into some trouble on Tuesday when the NFL fined him $13,369 for his crude touchdown celebration in Cleveland.
However, Crowell's stunt in front of a national audience against the Browns turned into an endorsement opportunity he couldn't pass up.
After scoring against his former team on Sept. 20. during Thursday Night Football, Crowell, 25, took the football and wiped it against his rear end before firing it into the stands. Crowell played with the Browns for four seasons before signing with the Jets as a free agent in March.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It made for a viral moment from New York's 21-17 loss to previously winless Cleveland and earned Crowell a scolding from coach Todd Bowles.
CLEVELAND BROWNS GET FIRST WIN IN NEARLY TWO YEARS, DEFEAT NY JETS
"It was inexcusable," Bowles said after the game. "We talked about it and it will never happen again."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crowell’s mother didn’t approve of the gesture either.
"Well, I did not like it as a mother," Debbie Crowell told ESPN. "I was literally shocked. Isaiah is such a mild-mannered person; he usually doesn't do much celebrating. I've never seen him go to that extreme. I was like, 'Oh, my God.' I had a crowd of people in the house. He told me it just happened in the heat of the moment. As a mother, I wish he hadn't done it."
NFL OWNERS JERRY JONES, ROBERT KRAFT SAY FOX DEAL 25 YEARS AGO CHANGED EVERYTHING
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crowell insisted he wasn’t trying to send a message to the Browns. He insisted he was just having fun but felt bad about the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty his celebration drew.
However, the news didn’t stink for Crowell who landed a promotional deal with Dude Wipes – a company that sells a toilet paper substitute for men.
PATRICK MAHOMES DAZZLES WITH LEFT-HANDED PASS ON KANSAS CITY CHIEFS’ GAME-WINNING DRIVE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The company and Crowell posted photos on social media of the NFL star promoting the product.
“A wipe to remember. We’ve got you covered, Isaiah Crowell,” a tweet from Dude Wipes read.
“Thanks to Dude Wipes I am now covered. Never leave home without them!” Crowell wrote in an Instagram post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The terms of the endorsement deal were not immediately available.
Bowles said on Wednesday that he was aware of the endorsement but said the stunt would not happen again.
“I just heard about it,” Bowles said according to the New York Daily News. “The play itself won’t happen again on our field. I can’t do anything about anybody’s endorsement deal off the field. But on this team, it won’t happen.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crowell took a bathroom break before speaking to reporters on Wednesday. He declined to speak about the endorsement.
Crowell came under fire in 2016 while with the Browns for posting a picture of a police officer getting his throat slit. He later apologized, saying "I was very wrong in posting that image," according to Cleveland.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.