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Tony Gonzalez created and perfected his signature dunk over the goal post while a Kansas City Chief. On Sunday, he made his mark against the Chiefs.
Gonzalez scored one of the Falcons' four touchdowns late in the third quarter with a perfect pass from Matt Ryan down the middle of the field. The ball went rolling away from TG after the catch was already made so the dunk wasn't readily available.
"Matt all of a sudden comes up to me, and he puts it in my chest.," TG said after the game. "He said, ‘Go dunk that ball.'
"So I went up there and dunked it."
He was cheered -- loudly -- when the PA announcer welcomed him back. But there were some boos after the dunk.
"I heard the boos coming with it," TG said, "but I want all the fans to know it wasn't a disrespectful thing. That's me. I made my bones coming up in this league, and I definitely just wanted to make sure I was true to myself and go up there and dunk it."
Most people didn't have a problem with what the dunk considering the history and all that. Most people.
Totally classless act by Tony Gonazalez dunking the ball at Kansas City. Hypocritical.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) September 9, 2012
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love the Kansas City fans. Now eat this! --Gonzalez.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) September 9, 2012
Safe to say that not many people agreed with that take.
@arrowheadpride @dennisdoddcbs yeah I'm out here, Chiefs fan, no problem with it.Dude deserved it
— n0toyz4oj (@n0toyz4oj) September 9, 2012
@arrowheadpride @dennisdoddcbs Nonsense. He didn't grow horns. He switched teams. Welcome to 2012.
— Barry Lenard (@BarryLenard) September 9, 2012
@arrowheadpride You can't be mad at TG for dunking the ball. He is a Falcon, not a Chief. He didn't leave, we traded him. Still a competitor
— Sam Creagar (@ColoradoCallsMe) September 9, 2012
@arrowheadpride @dennisdoddcbs it was an act of acknowledgement to his career as a Chief with no disrespect intended.
— Stacey (@StaceyAClay) September 9, 2012
@arrowheadpride @dennisdoddcbs Shut up Dodds, KC has tons of respect for that man. I missed seeing him do that and dont care he did it vs us
— Nate (@NateYinKC) September 9, 2012
@arrowheadpride you had to know that was bound to happen today in what's probably Tony's farewell tour.
— Nate Winkler (@natewinkler) September 9, 2012
IMO #Chiefs fan should have absolutely no qualm for Tony G's dunk after that TD. The man did work for the red and gold. #ATLvsKC
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) September 9, 2012
The overwhelming majority seems to think Tony G. has earned a lifetime pass to dunk at Arrowhead. I tend to agree.
— Kent Babb (@kentbabb) September 9, 2012
TG dunking at Arrowhead isn't a thing. There's not an overflow of angry fans that he did it. People get it and respect it.
In fact, other people were impressed that an old man like Tony G. (36) could still dunk.
Tony gonzalez tho... Made that slam dunk at goal post the dopeness.. He old now.. Lol but def the many have followed..
— Julio Medrano (@1stKlassAgency) September 9, 2012
How does 60 year old (practically) Tony Gonzales dunk the ball over the goal post and Vernon Davis gets hung?? What's going on here??
— Beau Levesque (@BeauFlex15) September 9, 2012
Not top 10 nominee:Vernon Davis just got rejected by the cross bar trying to dunk after TD.Dude Tony Gonzalez is 50 and did it.
— Jason Anderson (@J680Anderson) September 9, 2012
And others compared Vernon Davis' attempt at a dunk -- see the hilarious .GIF here -- to that old man in a Falcons uniform.
Tony Gonzalez can still dunk on the goal post, but Vernon Davis can't...lol
— Romeyus Maximus II (@iSayJEROME) September 10, 2012
Obviously Tony Gonzalez should teach Vernon Davis how to dunk a football, because Tony's was smooth earlier today. Vernon's? Not so much...
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) September 9, 2012
hahahaha Vernon Davis stuffed on the Tony Gonzalez dunk attempt
— Joe Longley (@JoeBroPongPro) September 9, 2012
Vernon Davis might want to work out with Tony Gonzalez on the Goal Post Dunk!!! "Just saying"
— JMC_SPORTSBOOK (@JMCSPORTSBOOK) September 9, 2012
How did young VD miss that "dunk" and old man Tony Gonzalez wind mill double pump over the crossbar?
— G.P.(@PricelessPrice2) September 10, 2012
Vernon Davis is no Tony Gonzalez. Just got rejected on an attempted dunk over the goal post.
— KC Chiefs Blog (@KCChiefsBlog) September 9, 2012
Since I was looking at tweets, I also found this one from an Atlanta reporter earlier in the week:
Photo credit: John Reiger / Denny Medley USPressWire#Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said he doesn't want to see #Falcons TETony Gonzalez dunk any footballs in Arrowhead Stadium.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@AJCFalcons) September 5, 2012