Kevin Byard expected Cowboys to drill him for dancing on star

10:42 AM ET

Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard said he expected the Cowboys to "knock my head off" after he paid homage to Terrell Owens on Monday night by celebrating his game-changing interception by celebrating on the star at AT&T Stadium.

Byard's first-quarter interception of Dak Prescott in the end zone came after the Cowboys recovered Marcus Mariota's second fumble of the game. He then sprinted to the star at midfield and began dancing on it when he was joined by some of his teammates.

Owens took notice on Twitter.

I feel like I've seen this before pic.twitter.com/aacvsoO0y3
— Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) November 6, 2018

Byard said he thought of the idea to run to the star when thinking of ways to celebrate a big play at the team hotel.

"... It was really just to show the team that we are not scared. We are here to play ball. We are here to win the game. I made the play and I ran straight to the 50 yard line. It was kind of off the wall a little bit," he told reporters.

In the 2000 season, Owens, then with the San Francisco 49ers, was crushed by Cowboys safety George Teague after celebrating a touchdown on the star for the second time in a game. His first such touchdown celebration went unpunished by the Cowboys.

Byard said he expected to receive a similar blow on Monday.

"I was actually expecting somebody to knock my head off. Then we just started dancing. I was like, if we get to the 50, if we get enough guys to the 50, we are just going to start dancing on the star," he said.

The Cowboys' Byron Jones eventually disrupted the celebration by pushing Byard and his Titans teammates off the star.

"There's no reason for them to disrespect the star like that,'' Jones said after the Titans defeated the Cowboys 28-14. "You can have fun out there. I understand celebrate, but you overstep the boundaries when you go on the star.''

Let's block ads! (Why?)