NFL stops using pink penalty flags, returning to yellow for Week 6

Oct 6, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; A penalty flag that is pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month is seen on the turf during the fourth quarter of a game between the St. Louis Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars at The Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports /

If you notice a little less pink during Week 6 of the NFL season, you’re not hallucinating. The NFL has removed the pink penalty flags from play and they will go back to the traditional yellow hankies after a week plus of confusion.

The pink flags wouldn’t have been so bad if the players weren’t also wearing pink towels, but if a towel dropped from a players ‘belt’ (as they often do), it looked as if there was a flag on the play.

The NFL, fully aware of the confusion, not only on TV but also on the field opted to reverse course and return to normalcy for the rest of the season:

Per USA Today:

"NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in an email to USA TODAY Sports on Monday the pink penalty flags used over the weekend as part of the league’s breast cancer awareness initiative won’t be used again in Week 6."

Even though the pink flags will be going by the wayside, teams will continue to show their support for breast cancer awareness and wear pink through their Week 7 games.

Home/NFL