Ezekiel Elliott won’t be fined for jumping into a giant Salvation Army pot

Ezekiel Elliott really got into the holiday spirit Sunday night.

The Dallas Cowboys running back celebrated his 13th rushing touchdown — a team rookie record — by jumping into an oversized Salvation Army kettle, then slowly rising up inside it.

Elliott said the idea started forming in his head when he noticed the giant pot during warm-ups.

“I saw it sitting there right by the end zone and I was like, man, somebody’s got to jump in there,” he told reporters after the Cowboys’ 26-20 win over Tampa Bay. “So I just had to do it.”

The fun moment came at a cost for the Cowboys as Elliott was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“He shouldn’t have done it,” Coach Jason Garrett said. “I thought it was creative, but he shouldn’t have done it. That’s how the league is going to rule on those things and you have to understand what’s legal and what’s not legal.”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said he was amused by the move and didn’t mind the penalty.

“It was worth it,” he said.

Team owner Jerry Jones seemed OK with it as well.

“The Salvation Army should give him the highest reward,” said Jones, whose team improved to 12-2. “My dream is the NFL would fine the daylights out of me and I’m gonna take ’em to the Supreme Court and we’re going to get the Salvation Army a lot of notice here.”

The NFL announced Monday that Elliott wouldn’t be fined for the celebration. Elliott had announced he would match the amount he was fined for the incident with a donation to Salvation Army.

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii