(AUDACY) Fans, teams and players are going to have to buckle up for the NFL enforcement of taunting rules to become more strict in 2021.
The league's annual rule change and points of emphasis video has highlighted the section that focused on taunting and its place (or lack of) in football, as pointed out by Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. The exact quote from the video is as follows:
"Under the points of emphasis, two important areas will be a focus for game officials. The NFL Players Association, coaches and competition committee have all made a strong statement regarding respect among everyone on the field. We saw an increase in actions that are clearly not within the spirit and intent of this rule and not representative of the respect to opponents and others on the field. Game officials have been instructed to strictly enforce the taunting rules, and players and coaches are reminded that two taunting penalties committed by an individual player will result in automatic disqualification. In addition, the taunting player may be fined and/or suspended depending on the severity of the actions."
If you're wondering why the term "No Fun League" is trending on Twitter, well, there you have it.
[ TTs US🇺🇸 14:35 ]
— 50trends U.S. (@50trends_us) August 10, 2021
"No Fun League" has entered the Top Trends => 7⃣ pic.twitter.com/tIh2H4LVH1
The league count wasn't all that high last season, according to NFLpenalties.com, with only eight teams getting slapped with a taunting penalty and only two teams — the Panthers and the Browns — getting whistled for taunting more than once. However, if that number goes up, expect more and more frustrated football fans screaming at their TVs.
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