'That'd Be Hard!' C.J. Stroud Hopes NFL Leniant Toward Houston Texans Touchdown Celebration

Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud's celebration was beloved by fans, but the league office may not have been as entertained. Will he get fined for his fake punch?

The NFL has a bad habit of fining players for having fun and using those same clips to advertise the sport later on. From Josh Allen’s unsportsmanlike penalty being used in a graphic to Tyreek Hill’s camera-stealing flip being found in a commercial, the league has no problem being hypocritical with its rulings.

The next edition of controversial NFL decisions could come down on the Houston Texans.

In Week 13, after Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud scampered into the end zone with a go-ahead touchdown, the quarterback drew even more attention with his celebration.

Stroud running for a gain against the Jacksonville Jaguars / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

He re-enacted a scene from the movie Baby Boy, lining up his teammates and throwing a fake punch at offensive tackle George Fant. The veteran tackle sold it wonderfully, further exciting the home fans.

On Wednesday, Stroud made his plea to the league.

“I definitely love that we were able to celebrate our touchdowns. This is an entertainment sport, so I don’t think I’ll get a fine. Hopefully I don’t,” Stroud said. “We want people to tune in, right? Let us have a little more time to celebrate. I feel like I’ve got a [some] cool stuff still in the bag.”

The Texans weren’t able to pull off the win, ultimately falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-21. Even so, Stroud has won over the hearts of the football world and made Houston the sport’s feel-good story of the season.

When asked about the celebration, the quarterback made sure he gave credit to his supporting actor.

“But the Baby Boy stuff, I was watching it, it’s a top-five movie of mine,” Stroud said. “I’m from So-Cal, it’s a movie that I was just like, ‘That’d be hard if we can re-enact that.’ It was funny, and a shoutout to Denzel, a.k.a. George, who sold it really well. Like Denzel Washington out there. That was hard, he fell perfect.”

Injecting a little more fun in the sport has been a trend with virtually universal support, at least among younger fans, who frankly matter more to the NFL as a marketing demographic. From elaborate touchdown dances to defenses flocking to the end zone after a turnover, progress has certainly been made.

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However, Houston lost, and celebrating from behind loses its luster rather quickly. Texans fans can rest assured that the focus is on playing good football and not choreographing the next viral celebration. At 6-5 and a manageable schedule ahead, Houston is very much alive in the AFC playoff picture.

Stroud doesn’t plan on slowing his success, or his celebrations, down anytime soon.

“We’ve got [some more] stuff that we can pull out, but we gotta start winning.”