What is taunting in the NFL?

There were a ton of taunting calls in today’s NFL action as the league asked referees to emphasize rule in new initiative.

With the return of NFL action comes the return of head-scratching penalty flags that fans grow to dislike once they learn why they were thrown. The villain in Week 2’s games were taunting rules, a new point of emphasis the league announced this summer.

What is taunting in the NFL

Per the NFL’s rulebook, taunting is defined as “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.” The pretty vague definition carries stiff consequences. The initial call is a 15-yard penalty. If a player receives two taunting penalties he will be ejected from the game. After league offices review the incident, players can be fined and/or suspended.

The league sent this video out to help teams understand what they deem as taunting:

Taunting called on Sunday

One of the times this rule was seen on Sunday was against Seattle Seahawk corner DJ Reed.

As seen in the video, after making a big play Reed quickly flexes as he gets up while staring at a Tennessee Titans player. The action was very fast and Reed was flagged as he was already walking off.

Fans unhappy with taunting rule

When the league announced this rule as a point of emphasis, they received a ton of pushback from fans, media and players. This pushback continues as everyone sees the rules in action impacting their favorite teams.

New York Giants owner John Mara, who is a member of the competition committee that introduced the initiative defended the leagues reasoning when speaking to media during training camp.

While the competition is ‘sick and tired’ of seeing this type of action and claims no one wants to see it, the fans are sick and tired of the competition committee impeding on the fun and passion of a competitive game. Many viewers of the game very much want to see their favorite players be allowed to show expression without it hurting their team.