THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSBURGH -- Santonio Holmes' last-minute touchdown catch won the Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It cost him 10 grand, too.

The NFL fined Holmes US$10,000 for using the football as a prop during his post-catch celebration, which came well after the play ended.

Holmes, impersonating NBA star LeBron James' pre-game ritual of tossing powder into the air, shook the football and tossed it after his six-yard scoring catch with 35 seconds sealed Pittsburgh's 27-23 victory.

The Steelers were not penalized for excessive celebration, apparently because the officials were getting ready for the point-after attempt and did not see Holmes' display in the corner of the end zone.

Two weeks ago, NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira said the celebration should have drawn a 15-yard penalty on the following kickoff.

Such penalties result in an automatic $10,000 fine.

However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said before the Pro Bowl that the NFL competition committee may consider making such celebrations legal if they occur long after a play ends.

"As you know, part of this rule is to avoid having a reaction from opposing players and, from what I could see, only seeing it once, it didn't seem like it was anywhere near that," Goodell said.

Holmes auctioned off the gloves he wore during the catch for $70,200, but that money will be donated to charity.

The NFL Network first reported the Holmes fine.