There probably isn’t a league-wide scandal against the Seattle Seahawks, but Richard Sherman was right about at least one thing; the NFL certainly seems less fun than it used to be.
The NFL’s unsportsmanlike conduct and taunting penalties, explained
Here’s how the NFL would prefer you celebrate your big play — and what will cost you 15 yards.
The league has earned its reputation as the No Fun League in 2016 after a nationwide crackdown on celebrations both simple and lavish. While officials are on pace to call fewer unsportsmanlike conduct penalties this fall than in 2015, they had thrown more excessive celebration flags through five weeks than they had all last season.
The league beefed up its taunting and celebration rules last spring, leading to the crackdown on post-whistle activities. It placed a greater emphasis on sportsmanship and gave officials the power to eject players who earn two conduct penalties in a single game.
“We felt like we needed a rule to make sure the players are held accountable to how we expect them to conduct themselves,” NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay explained.
That doesn’t mean celebrations are banned, but it certainly puts a crimp in the list of things a player can do to recognize an on-field accomplishment. The NFL’s official rules take broad strokes to determine what is and isn’t unsportsmanlike conduct. With 2016’s crackdown on celebrations, there’s been an emphasis on applying the rules more liberally. Here’s the official list of what will cost a team 15 yards of field position:
SECTION 3 UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
ARTICLE 1. PROHIBITED ACTS. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship. Such acts specifically include, among others:
(a) Throwing a punch, or a forearm, or kicking at an opponent, even though no contact is made.
(b) Using abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League.
Violations of (b) will be penalized if any of the acts are committed directly at an opponent. These acts include, but are not limited to: sack dances; home run swing; incredible hulk; spiking the ball; spinning the ball; throwing or shoving the ball; pointing; pointing the ball; verbal taunting; military salute; standing over an opponent (prolonged and with provocation); or dancing.
(c) Using baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams.
Violations of (c) will be penalized if any of the acts occur anywhere on the field. These acts include, but are not limited to: throat slash; machine-gun salute; sexually-suggestive gestures; prolonged gyrations; or stomping on a team logo.
(d) Prolonged or excessive celebrations or demonstrations by an individual player. Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground. A celebration or demonstration shall be deemed excessive or prolonged if a player continues to celebrate or demonstrate after a warning from an official.
(e) Two or more players engaging in prolonged, excessive, premeditated, or choreographed celebrations or demonstrations.
(f) Possession or use of foreign or extraneous object(s) that are not part of the uniform on the field or the sideline during the game.
(g) Using the ball or any other object including pylons, goal posts, or crossbars, as a prop.
(h) Unnecessary physical contact with a game official.
(i) Removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player.
So players can celebrate — just not for too long, in any choreographed or potentially offensive way, and not with the ball or any foreign object. Those rules are still a bit vague, however. Instead, let’s delve into some real-life dos and don’ts culled from the 2016 NFL season.
DO: spike the ball. Hard. Like, say, so hard it creates a reasonable doubt to whether it may have affected the internal air pressure of a football.
DON’T: hug the referee after a touchdown, Earl Thomas (prohibited act h).
DO: act like a robot. Andrew Hawkins scored a touchdown for the Cleveland Browns — an occasion absolutely justified in celebrating — and then staged a mini-protest by placing the ball on the turf and mechanically walking away.
The celebration broke no rules, and Hawkins went unflagged for his efforts.
DON’T: make it even the slightest bit sexual (prohibited act ... b, I guess) . Antonio Brown’s first twerking flag earned him a $9,115 fine for five thrusts. Weeks later, he limited his celebration to a Key & Peele approved “two pumps” and was slapped with another flag in the process. If NFL players want to include their hips in a celebration, they’ll have to make sure they’re moving side-to-side, not back and forth.
DON’T: use the ball as a prop during a celebration (prohibited act g). That applies even if you’re holding the ball while celebrating. Terrelle Pryor’s homage to LeBron James just happened to take place with the ball in his right hand. While it had nothing to do with the dance itself, it still earned the Cleveland WR a 15-yard penalty.
but also
DON’T: let the ball slip out of your hands and hit an opposing player in the shoulder (prohibited act c, but not really).
Sorry, Terrelle. I believe the rules technically say to only ever call this one against the Browns.
DO: perform Olympic track and field events in the end zone, as long as they don’t include the ball and are not directed at an opponent.
DON’T: take your helmet off before getting to the sideline (prohibited act i)
DO: take your celebration to the sideline, even if it’s to propose to an inanimate object.
Odell Beckham Jr. got to see both sides of the equation against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. First, his triple jump celebration after a third-quarter touchdown got the OK from the umpire. Then he drew the officials’ ire by removing his helmet after scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 1:24 left in the game. Finally, he warmed everyone’s cold hearts by making his once-abusive relationship with the Giants’ kicking net official with a wedding proposal.
Ravens-Giants was a roller coaster for the league’s officials.
DON’T: perform a choreographed dance, no matter how brief it is (prohibited act e)
See More:
