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ARLINGTON, Texas -- From Billy "White Shoes" Johnson to Terrell Owens, from Mark Gastineau to Deion Sanders, NFL players have built their legacies not just as great players but as entertainers - often by punctuating big moments on the field with theatrics.

Then there's Marc Colombo. All he did was slip.

Colombo is the Dallas offensive lineman who flubbed the landing on a chest bump with a teammate following a Cowboys touchdown last weekend. What started as a harmless stunt led to a loss for his struggling team and reopened the discussion about whether the NFL goes too far trying to stamp out showboating.

Officials flagged Colombo for unsportsmanlike conduct. Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(d) prohibits players "from engaging in any celebrations while on the ground," and Colombo was clearly on the turf.

However, it was also clearly an accident which begs the question: Should officials have just let it go?

"When a player goes to the ground as part of a celebration, we can't judge intent," Carl Johnson, the league's vice president of officiating, said in a video interview about the play on NFL.com. "It's black and white. It is a foul."

Not necessarily, said Johnson's predecessor, Mike Pereira.

"Suppose you're in the end zone after making that catch and go to shake his hand and you trip over his foot and fall down - is that an excessive demonstration?" said Pereira, now a rules analyst on Fox broadcasts. "You have to allow spontaneity. If as part of a player's natural, spontaneous celebration he loses his balance, that wasn't what the league was trying to stop."

Pereira also emphasized there are several rules requiring officials to judge intent, such as intentional grounding.

In general, Pereira likes rules with black-and-white interpretations and he's a fan of curbing celebrations. Yet he believes common sense trumps all, especially in this case.

"Any human would privately say, 'I don't think that's one that should've been called,'" Pereira said.

Dallas tight end Jason Witten was the guy who scored this now-infamous touchdown. As he's done before, Witten sought out Colombo for the honor of spiking the ball. Then they did a flying chest bump, all of which was within the rules...

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