Emphasis belongs on the word “unnecessary”
Jamie Collins was the first NFL player to get ejected in the 2020 NFL season. The new Lions linebacker wasted little time in committing one of the dumber acts anyone will perform all season.
Collins was ejected in the first quarter of Sunday’s home loss to the Chicago Bears for making unnecessary contact with an official. It appeared Collins was trying to demonstrate what happened to him on the previous play, with RB David Montgomery lowering his head into Collins illegally.
But Collins never appeared to have referee Andy Kemp’s attention. Kemp rocked backward as if he had no idea Collins was coming near him. It’s hard to ascertain Kemp’s focus from the camera angle and his mask, but that reaction strikes me as someone who was startled more than struck hard.
Kemp’s explanation with the pool reporter after the game made that pretty clear.
“No, players are allowed to touch officials, put a hand on your shoulder, or something of that nature,” Kemp said via the pool report. “But unnecessary contact with a game official — it’s Rule 12-3-1-E — covers unnecessary contact to a game official. So, that’s what I went with.”
Kemp is right. If he judged that Collins did not need to touch him, hence the “unnecessary”, he is required to eject him. Had Collins made sure Kemp was paying attention to him and receptive to a discussion, let alone contact, the act might have been tolerable. But it wasn’t. Collins obviously never established that line of communication with Kemp. Even if he had, he didn’t need to touch the official with his helmet to demonstrate what he was trying to show.
The further explanation from the pool report, via the NFL:
Question: Did you think he was trying to explain what had happened on the prior play, or does that not matter either?
Kemp: “No, I judged it as unnecessary, so I called a foul.”
Question: Did that call for an immediate ejection?
Kemp: “I decided to eject the player.”
Question: Could you have just called an unsportsmanlike penalty?
Kemp: “Not with his actions, unfortunately.”
Question: So, the ejection was because he touched you, and you can’t rule on intent?
Kemp: “I ruled unnecessary contact.”
It’s a well-established rule, one that anyone who has played football in the last 80 years knows inherently. Collins knows better, even if he thought he was in the right.
