All field sports are ersatz war with rules governing them to prevent death to the participants. Any thing done within the rules is fair play. This was the design and execution of a tactical genious.
The two best plays Ive heard of were when a local radio station asked people to call in trick plays:
*In a game in Or with intense fog on the sides of the field, one team had 3 backs run to the sideline. After a few seconds, two guys went back to the huddle. No one realized the third guy was still on the field until the QB hit him for a TD
*A QB in the Shotgun formation sent a WR in motion. As the WR was motioning, he hopped sideways like a rabbit and made bunny ears with his hands. When he crossed the QB, the QB pretended to shoot the “rabbit” WR. While the defense fell down laughing, the center snapped it to the RB for a TD.