Ron Rivera defends taunting rule amid fan, player uproar
The 2021 season is rolling and ratings are up, but the NFL’s crackdown on “taunting” as a form of celebration has fans and players alike unhappy. Through two weeks, referees have thrown 11 flags for taunting, matching the total for the entire 2020 season.
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera defended the NFL’s increasingly stringent taunting penalties on Wednesday.
“We’ve had this example where one guy taunts a guy and then the guy comes back for a little payback and the next thing you know, you’ve got a big fight on your hands,” Rivera said.
The former Carolina Panther’s head coach is one of 11 members of the NFL’s competition committee, which has emphasized taunting as an area for improvement this season.
“You’ve got guys coming from left field hitting each other,” Rivera continued. ‘And that’s really what, to me I think, the referees are relevant for — they’re just trying to get it quieted down. And that’s really what — I mean, you can do the celebration. They sent a tape out explaining exactly what’s taunting and what’s not. I think if you look at the tape and you follow the tape, then it makes sense.
“I mean, I’m all for the celebrations. Remember, we [with the Panthers] were the 2015 team that everybody was mad at because we were dabbing and stuff like that, taking pictures on the sideline. So, you want these guys to keep their personality. You want them to be who they are because these guys are explosive players that make dynamic plays. But the intent is so that somebody doesn’t do something that gets somebody to come back with a little retribution. You don’t want that. You don’t want somebody out for revenge. That’s what we’re trying to prevent.
“And, again, whether we want to [be] or not, we are examples. We’re role models. So if you’re going to do something, do it within the rules. Get up and do your ball drop, do your dab, or your dance, or whatever. But don’t do it toward somebody. Don’t step over somebody or drag your leg over somebody. That’s what we’re trying to prevent.”
NFLPA not supportive of new taunting rule
Rich McKay, Falcons’ CEO and president of the NFL’s competition committee, attempted to scapegoat the NFL Player’s Association as the source of the new taunting point of emphasis.
NFLPA president J.C. Tretter felt the need to clear the air:
“The majority of fans feel that this is a bad idea – and so do the majority of players,” Tretter wrote on NFLPA.com. “It is frustrating to read comments like the ones reported last week saying that the NFLPA were the ones who wanted this change. I can assure you, as an attendee of the competition committee meeting myself, that was not the case. On the contrary, we would support the removal of this point of emphasis immediately.
“Fans enjoy the intensity and the raw emotion that our players show on the field; and the overwhelming majority of the time, players understand the line between that emotion and bad sportsmanship.”