CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton affectionately refers to wide receiver Devin Funchess as "Fun-Fun."

But last year, "Fun-Fun" received a $12,154 fine by the "No Fun League" for his touchdown dance with Kelvin Benjamin in a Week 2 win against San Francisco.

You know, excessive celebrating.

And by law it was excessive ... then.

After the NFL on Tuesday voted to relax the rules on spontaneous "Dancing With The Stars" moments -- and Funchess says his celebration was spontaneous, not orchestrated as was interpreted -- such displays will be allowed.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in a letter to fans explaining the new policy, actually mentioned the Benjamin-Funchess dance as an example of what will be allowed.

It was long overdue.

Newton spoke out against the no-celebration rule when asked about Funchess being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after that game.

“Football is an extremely hard sport to play," he said. “I think it is a reward as a player. At the end of the day, people don’t come here because of it not being an entertainment type of sport.

“You get a lot of people who come to see touchdowns thrown, great defense as well as the celebrations. That’s just the footnote in it. I’m going to stay out of it, but I think we need to keep doing things that will make us celebrate. That’s my thoughts.”

This is straight from the quarterback who brought us the "dab," the Atlanta-based dance that took the NFL by storm during the 2015 season in which the Panthers had more fun than most en route to the Super Bowl.

The dab was legal, by the way.

Funchess feels players should be allowed to show their personalities after touchdowns. He shared his thoughts with Sports Illustrated’s “The MMQB” in March.

“Everything was down this year, TV viewers, people watching, and why is that? Because we can’t have fun," Funchess said. “Nobody wants to watch a boring league. The Not Fun League, that’s what we call it, it’s not fun.

“Like [in 2015], Cam did the dab, he got everybody with the dab. He put that on the map. Every little kid was doing the dab. We used that to bring people closer, every ethnicity, in certain areas in this country, by just having fun. ... It shouldn’t be as if they are controlling our happiness."

Funchess even told the publication how he would change the rule.

“It’s a team sport, so we should be able to do anything, but it shouldn’t take longer than five seconds," he said. “If a celebration is under five seconds, you’re good.

“Excessive celebration should be longer than 10 seconds. If anything is over 10 seconds, that is a fine. That is what excessive means, a long period of time."

It’ll be interesting to see what Newton comes up with now that the rules are relaxed. He’s easily the most excitable member of the Panthers and most likely to break out in celebration, particularly now that fullback Mike Tolbert is in Buffalo.

Newton nullified a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker A.J. Klein in a 2016 preseason game because he ran on the field during the return.

“I just got too excited," the 2015 NFL MVP said afterward.

Newton retired the dab before the start of last season and his new celebration -- in a season that had few for the Panthers -- didn’t catch on.

So look for him to come up with something special as he and the Panthers try to regain the special feeling they had two years ago.

Newton made it clear last year the league needed more celebrations, reminding how he was influenced by the flamboyant University of Miami football team as a kid in terms of wanting to wear a bandana like the one he wears now.

“I really can't talk on their ratings," Newton said of the league before a primetime game against New Orleans. "But in some way, shape, form or fashion, we are entertainers. Our influence ranks second-to-none at this time of the year."