Panthers RB Rico Dowdle raises $45,000 for North Carolina children’s charity after being fined for ‘two pumps’ celebration
Panthers running back donated $45,000 to the Children's Home Society of North Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An NFL fine could make a player negative, but Panthers running back Rico Dowdle spun it into a positive experience for himself and a greater cause.
Two weeks ago, Rico Dowdle celebrated a touchdown in the third quarter after his rushing touchdown put the Panthers (5-4) ahead 13-6. Dowdle thrusted his hips in homage to a famous "Key & Peele" sketch. The celebration drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The NFL stipulates a $14,491 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Dowdle shared on social media that he would be starting a GoFundMe:
Instead of raising money toward his own fine, Dowdle said he and his agency chose to support the Children's Home Society of North Carolina.
Starting a go fund me 🤣 they got me 🥹
— Rico Dowdle (@ricodowdle) November 5, 2025
"We're a statewide organization that helps children and families all across North Carolina and will serve 23,000 children and families this year. We're the state's largest provider of adoption-related services and foster care and family support programs, and we've been doing it for 123 years now, founded way back in 2002," said CHSNC president Brian Maness.
Dowdle gained support from fans quickly, donating to the GoFundMe. Keegan-Michael Kay also shared that he and his wife would personally donate $15,000 to the fundraiser after Dowdle drew inspiration from their sketch comedy. The GoFundMe reached $45,000.
"We were so surprised, but in a wonderful way, somebody like Rico using his platform to help kids and families is just a wonderful thing. Raising over $45,000, it's hard to even express how much we appreciate that and how meaningful that is to us. But even beyond the financial support, the level of interest that we've been receiving from. Folks that care about kids and care about families and wanna help whether it's financial or otherwise has been really terrific," said Maness.
On Friday, Dowdle met some of the children who have been positively impacted by the Children's Home Society, sign autographs, take pictures, and present a check through his efforts.
"Definitely great it's going to a greater cause and and it's able to help kids and and families get a home and things like that," said Dowdle. "They welcomed me in. It was great to get in here and meet. Everybody and put my face in front of them. I was more, I was probably more excited to meet them than I was to meet me, but you know, it was a great experience just to get here to get in front of everybody."
"He has such a platform and for someone that has so many demands on him and his time and his attention to use his voice to engage hundreds of people that have given to this campaign and even beyond that, really thousands of people, not just here in the Carolinas, but all around the country that are now interested in not just him but us and organizations like us that help kids and families, that's, that's really just wonderful," said Maness.
A father himself, Rico shared how it made him emotional to meet the children and be able to help support an organization in Charlotte.
"Heartwarming, for all the people that donated and supported. There's a lot of people in the world with good hearts. So just showing that for me and just knowing that it's a lot of people in the world with good hearts, and they were able to donate for that for a greater cause."
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