Golden Tate says of taunting celebration, “I’m better than that” (Video)
By Josh Davis
The Seattle Seahawks barely hung on to beat the St. Louis Rams 14-9 on Monday Night Football, but everyone will be talking about the taunting penalty that Golden Tate incurred on his way to the endzone on his 80 yard touchdown reception in the 3rd quarter.
The Seahawks had been stymied all game, but in one fell swoop, 7-6 turned to 14-6 when Russell Wilson dropped back a couple steps, saw man cover-2 and let it fly down the left sidelines. The ball was a little underthrown, giving the Rams corner what looked like a pick, but Tate came back to undercut the ball and stole it away.
What happened next was priceless for Seahawks fans everywhere, even though it was admittedly “immature” and selfish of Tate for his team. He started waving at the Rams safety and earned the rare in-field taunting flag.
In college such actions would cost your team points, as it will come back and be marked off at the spot of the infraction. But in the NFL, the play stands and the penalty is enforced on the ensuing kickoff.
After the game, he was apologetic to his team for the move focusing primarily on the fact that his team was put at risk on the ensuing possession. He also mentioned that if he wants to be considered as one of the NFL’s top receivers, he needs to act like he’s been there before.
The video of the conversation can be found HERE.