The NFL’s Competition Committee is meeting this week in Indianapolis—site of the annual Scouting Combine—to discuss potential rule changes, including a proposal by the Colts that, if approved by 24 of the league’s 32 owners, would allow both teams to possess the ball in overtime. However, one polarizing topic that has not gotten much traction in Indy is taunting, with the NFL firmly committed to penalizing any behavior that could possibly be perceived as "unsportsmanlike."
“We have to stand on poor sportsmanship,” executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent relayed to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “That was universally in agreement.”
Upon review, Vincent says 56 of the 61 taunting flags issued in 2021 were the correct call. The league’s enforcement of taunting penalties last season was widely criticized with players often flagged for seemingly innocuous acts including an instance in Week 13, when T.J. Watt was dinged 15 yards for chirping at Devonta Freeman on his way back to the Steelers’ huddle. An even more egregious foul occurred in Week 10 when Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh was whistled for inadvertently bumping into head official Tony Corrente. That 15-yard personal foul would be the difference in the game with Chicago ultimately losing on a last-second field goal.
Similar to when the NFL penalized players for excessive celebration (the league has relaxed its stance in recent years), many saw the increased emphasis on taunting last season as superfluous and overreaching, doing more harm than good by discouraging players from showing any emotion on the field. Unfortunately for those same critics, it looks like the league’s crackdown on taunting is here to stay.
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