NFL Reviewing Touchdown Celebration Penalty Rules
It looks like the NFL might actually allows its players to have fun again.
During a season in which the NFL has cracked down on end-zone celebrations like never before – taunting penalties increased by 220 percent when comparing the first four weeks of 2015 to – it’s being reported that the league will produce a compilation of player celebrations for the Competition Committee to review in the offseason. While it may not seem like a big step forward on the surface, it could pave the way for a much softer policy over what isn’t allowed in the end-zone since the rule book’s current description of unsportsmanlike conduct is rather vague.
Here’s what NBC Sports had to say about the news: “The evidence could prompt the Competition Committee to conclude that the rules regarding celebrations should be relaxed…There’s a chance that the current rules could end up getting a bit of an overhaul, with players given greater freedom to express themselves after achieving a positive outcome on the football field.”
This, of course, would be great news even though a lot of damage has already been done. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, for example, has been fined over $30,000 this season for his actions in the end-zone. It’s probably safe to assume the league won’t reimburse him if they suddenly decide twerking is kosher, either, but it’s a promising start nonetheless.