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There’s a reason the NFL is frequently referred to as the “No Fun League,” and rules designed to prevent players from letting their emotions fly on the field certainly play into that reputation. That includes the league’s stance on taunting—one Joe Burrow thinks needs to be reconsidered.
In 1984, the NFL mounted a serious crackdown on post-play celebrations thanks in no small part to New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau, whose signature “sack dance” drew scrutiny after sparking a massive brawl during a game against the Rams the previous season.
That ultimately led to the creation of regulation that’s currently listed under Section 3, Article 7 in the NFL rulebook, which states a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty can be called on any player who is deemed guilty of using “baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
I think most football fans would agree that’s a textbook example of an idea that’s good in theory but leaves a lot to be desired in practice. It’s easy to understand why the NFL wants to legislate antagonistic antics with the potential to make simmering bad blood reach a boiling point, but it frequently results in a big play getting negated by a flag thrown by an overly judicious official.
There haven’t been any serious pushes to address the taunting rule in recent years, but it seems like Joe Burrow would support that kind of campaign based on what he had to say about the matter while chatting with Travis and Jason Kelce during a live taping of the New Heights podcast in Cincinnati Thursday night.
According to Olivia Ray of WLWT, the Bengals quarterback stated he’s “pro taunting” while noting:
“We’re all grown adults that work really hard at what we do. And sometimes we’d like to show it. I’m not gonna get my feelings hurt if somebody sacks me and taunts me like you made a play.”
Well said.