After accumulating two Super Bowl rings, 298 catches and 33 touchdowns, Brandon Stokley has earned his share of complimentary back slaps.
Perhaps none of these accomplishments, however, received such hero’s treatment as the Stokley Save.
Late in the Broncos’ 34-30 win Nov. 6 at Cleveland, Stokley alertly halted Brandon Marshall from making an end-zone demonstration that could have drawn a costly 15-yard penalty.
“It’s funny, I’ve gotten more attention for that thing than a lot of things I’ve done,” Stokley said. “I got so many text messages after that game. It’s weird how things work. But I think I did what any good teammate would do at that time.”
Marshall had just scored the go-ahead touchdown catch with 1:14 remaining when he pulled out a black-and-white glove from his pants. The glove was a symbol of the racial unity the country demonstrated by electing Barack Obama president.
“Actually, I’m not a guy who sits at home and tries to create different antics in the end zone,” Marshall said. “That was just a special week.”
One problem with the premeditated gesture: Because the NFL penalizes use of props in end-zone celebrations, and the glove in this instance would have been considered a prop, Marshall would have drawn a 15-yard penalty.
“The ref saw it,” Stokley said. “When we were running off the field, the referee was yelling, ‘Put that thing away.’ I don’t think he knew what it was, but he saw it.”
The penalty would have forced the Broncos to kick off from their 15 to dangerous Browns returner Joshua Cribbs. But because Stokley was among the Broncos players who learned before the game of Marshall’s planned touchdown demonstration, he was able to prevent it.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Stokley said. “I was running over to celebrate with him and I saw him going for it. And then I knew it.”
