NFL will enforce current taunting rule.
 

NFL to crack down on taunting, experiment with extra point
The NFL plans to crack down on taunting and on-field misconduct moving forward.

Speaking at the NFL Annual Meeting Wednesday, Jeff Fisher said the Competition Committee had a lengthy discussion about conduct in the workplace.

"We agreed that we have an issue on the field and we agreed that we are going get it under control as soon as we can possibly can," Fisher said. "Our taunting numbers increased from nine and 12 to 34 last year, and we're going to effect change immediately and that change will be effected as early as the OTAs when the players come back.

"We've got to change our conduct on the field. We've got to bring the element of respect to its highest level back to our game."

Taunting penalties have always been on the rule book, but curtailing will become an emphasis in September.

"We're going to clean the game up on the field between the players," Fisher said. "The in-your-face taunting. The language. It's all in the book. It's all under unsportsmanlike conduct. There's no change in our rule. We're going to enforce the current rule."

Fisher went so far as to say that the NCAA asked the NFL to help cut down on taunting as it filters down to all levels of the game. The St. Louis Rams coach said that college players emulate the actions they see from NFL players on Sundays.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell opened the NFL Annual Meeting this week with an emphasis on respect, both in the locker room and on the field. The Competition Committee had a lengthy discussion on how to promote sportsmanship throughout the NFL workplace; it was such a point of emphasis today that the committee passed out photocopies of the sportsmanship part of the rule book to all media.

Enforcing the taunting rules will add more to the referee's plate, but the importance of cleaning up the on-field misconduct seems to outweigh that concern.

Taunting penalties nearly tripled last season, according to NFL Media's Judy Battista. The effect of the enforcement will be a visible change come September. There undoubtedly will be a controversial taunting penalty that could cost a team a win and will bring heat about the subjective enforcement of the taunting rule.

In the NFL's view, that risk is worth cleaning up the problem.

You mean back when they could clothesline each other and players legitimately HATED another player and wanted to injure them?

PUSSIFICATION of the NFL. :banghead:

How about calling illegal pick plays now and again?

they are called

Holding... Could we call that one?

I guess Poe better be extra careful now when he points to a player that hit him late.

Not if your team wears Orange and blue. You know this already.... :banghead:

You know it will get called...

ROFL

You got that right. I grew up getting taunted at every level when I played football. It just made me focus and make a good play so I could return the favor. Nothing wrong with that attitude in a rough game like football. WTF???

long sleeves for players with tatoo's is next up

Taunting is subjective, so expect anyone who breathes funny around Brady or Fivehead to be penalized for taunting.

....on teams that aren't the Donkeys or Cheatriots.

Just more ways to fix games for fivehead, Luck and Brady.....**** GOODELL and the NFL!!!!! That Poe penalty had me steamed....