NFL will take close look at taunting calls and…
2 min read
USA TODAY Sports
The Competition Committee begins today the effort to identify potential rule changes for the 2022 season. One specific rule definitely will be getting attention during the process.
It’s the taunting rule. And it will be getting a closer look.
The rule itself has been on the books for years. It was the subject of a “point of emphasis” in 2014, and the point of emphasis was re-emphasized in 2021.
There’s no reason to think the league will retreat on its desire to see the rule enforced properly. However, a source with knowledge of the dynamics recently explained to PFT that there’s a concern officials are trying too hard to find taunting when it perhaps isn’t there.
On multiple occasions in 2021, players who weren’t actually taunting got flagged for it. For many officials, the flag came out whenever players got face to face after a play, even if the purpose was (for example) to express displeasure regarding the way the defender struck the offensive player. That’s not taunting. Also, it’s impossible to expect players to be so robotic that they turn off the natural human emotions that the game accesses.
The other problem, of course, is that sometimes the officials didn’t call obvious taunting fouls. Most notably, Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill put a peace sign in the face of a Bills defensive player while running to the end zone.
So, yes, the rule needs some work. If they’re going to keep it around, it needs to be softened to encompass only true and obvious instances of taunting. And it needs to be enforced fairly and consistently, in all games.
