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Saints' Jimmy Graham protesting ban on goalpost dunks, getting NBA fan support

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL's ban on goalpost dunks as touchdown celebrations isn't having the desired effect so far in the preseason.

New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, one of the most notorious goalpost dunkers in all of football (the rule has even been referred to as The Jimmy Graham Rule), isn't having any of the new rule. During an exhibition game against the Tennessee Titans on Friday, Graham scored two touchdowns, dunking the ball in the endzone each time.

The result? 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, the second of which saw Graham get reemed out by head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines.

"Would you be upset?" Payton asked after the game. "Yeah, I was. Particularly."

Teammates suggested that Graham will probably cut this antic out once the games actually matter (see the post below), but he's certainly not going quietly.

Prior to Friday's game, Graham had even taken a shot another shot at the league on social media:

While some have called his actions in the preseason selfish or attention-seeking, Graham is gaining at least a few fans in NBA circles. A post on subreddit R/NBA urging fans to "Support our NFL brethren, the joys of dunking are for everyone" with a link to Graham's exploits was one of the subreddit's top posts of the weekend.

Graham, a former basketball player at Miami, is earning himself fans in the basketball writing community, too, a group that's rolled its eyes at the rule change:

While the game's best tight end is likely to cease dunking once the regular season begins, there appears to be a subset of people ready to embrace the Blake Griffin of the NFL.

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