NFL officials are going to be seriously enforcing taunting violations in 2021.
After the league released their annual rule change and points of emphasis video this week, many NFL insiders pointed out how much more stress was put on referees to call such penalties this season.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was among them, who pointed out that fines and suspension could come down:
The NFL's annual rule change and points of emphasis video notes game officials have been instructed to strictly enforce taunting rules in 2021. Two violations results in automatic ejection, with fines and even suspensions (!!) in play, too.https://t.co/aMafmvxwxt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 10, 2021
In the video, competition committee chairman Rich McKay explains:
“The NFL Players Association, coaches and competition committee have all made a strong statement regarding respect among everyone on the field. We saw an increase in actions that clearly are not within the spirit and intent of this rule is not representative of the respect to opponents and others on the field. Game officials have been instructed to strictly enforce the taunting rules, and players and coaches are reminded that two taunting penalties committed by an individual player will result in automatic disqualification. In addition, the taunting player may be fined and/or suspended depending on the severity of the actions.”
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