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The NFL has drawn criticism over the years for how it chooses to handle situations. Quirky officiating rules have become one area where NFL fans have rightfully hit the league hard on. And the ridiculous taunting, or “posturing” rule, which has seemingly been more prevalent this season than any other, is clearly the silliest rule of all.
Look no further than this memo that the NFL sent out to teams about taunting on Friday, which essentially encourages players to avoid human emotion.
The NFL isn't backing down from its unrealistic expectation that players back away from basic human emotions. https://t.co/Z62cOnjvPx
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 19, 2021
This just gets more and more ridiculous. The NFL doesn't want players getting in the face of opponents after big plays but those instances aren't the only thing being penalized anymore. Even a mere glance at the opposing team's bench or a perceived glance, is grounds for a taunting penalty nowadays in the NFL.
And a training video. What's in that video? An NFL wide receiver robotically placing the football on the ground, walking back to the sideline and sitting down on the bench after scoring a huge touchdown? Certain things are out of bounds and immediately grounds for the referees to throw up the yellow flag for taunting.
But this tip-toe-around-and-don't-show-any-normal-human-emotion is just ridiculous. Perhaps worst of all, the NFL doesn't even enforce the rule consistently. This is like the whole catch debacle from a few years ago all over again.
The NFL needs to show some leniency with this. There's nothing wrong with having a taunting penalty but let the players show emotion after a big play- and don't immediately throw a flag when there's some banter involved. The last thing the NFL wants is for a playoff game- or worse- to be decided by a player being flagged for “posturing”, or showing human emotion.
