The NFL’s increased emphasis on penalizing taunting has been a huge source of frustration for both players and fans this season, but the league has no plans to change its approach.
Mark Maske of The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the NFL feels the enforcement of taunting penalties has “gone as planned” through the first two weeks of the regular season. The competition committee is not expected to intervene, and the NFL expects players to adjust accordingly.
There were eight taunting calls in Week 2. The overwhelming majority felt they were unnecessary. The NFL Players Association agreed and issued a statement on the matter.
Players will simply have to adjust, but the question is whether they should have to. There’s a difference between passion and crossing the line. It seems like the league is categorizing everything under the latter category now. If you saw some of the taunting penalties from Sunday (video here), you would probably agree.
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