NFL is cracking down hard on illegalcelebrations

Washington tight end Vernon Davis (85) celebrates his touchdown and draws a penalty in the second quarter of a game

against the Philadelphia Eagles at Washington's FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, October 16, 2016. Photo: Photo by

Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Twerking? Don't do it, Antonio Brown.

Shooting a fake bow and arrow? No way, Josh Norman and Brandin Cooks.

Taking off your helmet? Nope, Odell Beckham Jr.

Shooting a jump shot over the crossbar? Forget about it, Vernon Davis.

NFL officials are throwing penalty flags for illegal celebrations and taunting with increasing

regularity this season as part of the league's push for improved sportsmanship among

players. Some players, fans and other observers wonder if the kind of crackdown that

earned the sport the nickname of the "No Fun League" over the years has gone too far this

time.

"I didn't know it was a penalty. I was doing that when I was in San Francisco and now all of

a sudden it's a penalty," said Davis, the veteran tight end for Washington. "[It was] like:

'Hey, where'd that come from, guys?'"

By Mark Maske, Washington Post on 10.26.16

Word Count 1,071

Davis' transgression was illegally using the football as a prop by flipping it, basketball jump

shot-style, over the crossbar following a touchdown catch last Sunday against the

Philadelphia Eagles.

"You're just shooting the ball over the goal post," Davis said in the home locker room at

FedEx Field after the game. "You're not taunting. I don't think that's taunting. You're just

celebrating, right? But, like I said, it's out of my control. All I can do is correct it next time

and not shoot it."

That's what the NFL wants to hear.

"The [competition] committee looks at this every year," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

said Wednesday at his news conference following the owners' meeting in Houston. "This is

one of those things - I've been in the league 35 years. I don't think there's been a year

where we didn't look at this issue.

"It comes down to balancing a lot of issues, the professional standards that we want to

uphold. We do believe that our players are role models and others look at that at the youth

level. So that's important for us to hold that standard up. And it's part of being a

professional. So that's one element of it."

Goodell spoke of sportsmanship when he directed the competition committee this past

offseason - in the aftermath of last season's series of on-field confrontations between

Norman, the cornerback then with the Carolina Panthers, and Beckham, the star wide

receiver of the New York Giants - to propose a rule requiring an automatic ejection of any

player penalized twice for unsportsmanlike-conduct personal fouls in the same game.

The owners ratified the rule after the committee pared it down to include only certain types

of unsportsmanlike conduct calls. The automatic ejection rule has had little impact on this

season thus far; the only player ejected has been Giants center Weston Richburg. There

have been 28 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called league-wide through Week 6 of

this season, compared with 29 at the same point last season.

But the sportsmanship push has been seen more prevalently in other areas. There have

been 16 penalties through Week 6 for excessive celebrations and illegal demonstrations,

compared with 10 at this point last season. There have been 21 taunting penalties, up from

11 last season.

"We have taunting, which is a significant issue, and taunting fouls are up this year," Goodell

said Wednesday. "It's probably a combination of making that a point of emphasis. But we

look at that as sportsmanship. And that can lead to, in most cases when somebody taunts

somebody else, somebody reacts and that can escalate quickly.

"So those are things that we're really concerned about. We look at it closely. The committee

balances those issues. I don't think they're being officiated inconsistently. People may not

like the rule. They may not like the line that's been drawn. But we believe it's part of being

a professional league."

Some media members have criticized the league for attempting to legislate the joy out of

the game or acting overly paternalistic toward players. Players have said they mean no

harm.

Cooks, who has avoided being penalized for his bow-and-arrow routine while Norman was

penalized and fined for his, says his gesture is inspired by Bible passages.

"I've been doing it for three years now, and there was never a complaint about it," Cooks

told the New Orleans Advocate. "Now, all of a sudden, there is. It just reminds me that, it's

almost as if they try to take so much away from us, but for something like this, that means

so much to someone that has nothing to do with violence, it's frustrating. I'll definitely

continue to speak my opinion about it, and if they have a problem with it, so be it."

Some of the penalties have resulted in significant on-field consequences. The Baltimore

Ravens nearly crafted a game-winning drive - but fell just short - after Beckham was

penalized last Sunday for removing his helmet during a late-game touchdown celebration.

The Eagles returned the kickoff for a touchdown after Washington was pushed 15 yards

back by Davis' celebration penalty.

Davis was asked whether he thought what he did should constitute a penalty.

"I don't think so," he said. "But like I said, it's out of my control."

And was it even a good shot?

"It was a great shot!" he answered.

Washington Coach Jay Gruden had shown his players video clips during a team meeting

about what the league considered illegal celebrations. But the jump shot wasn't covered,

Davis said.

"He talked about the dunking [the football over the goal post] and everything else," Davis

said. "But I think he forgot to mention that if you shoot it, you get a penalty. When I left that

meeting, I was scratching my head. I was like, 'Maybe I should ask him about the shooting,

too.' But now I get it. I get the point. That will never, ever happen again. Ever."

Ultimately it's up to players to operate within the parameters set by the league on the

issue, Davis said.

"They set the rules," Davis said. "It's our job to go out there and be in compliance and

respect it. Sometimes you can get overwhelmed with yourself and you're not really thinking

correctly, and you can make an irrational decision when it comes to celebrating. It's not

deliberate sometimes. It just happens. So you have to continue to move forward, look at

film and know what you did, and try not to put the team in a situation where we can hurt

ourselves, right? And that's it."

Quiz

1 Which idea is BEST supported by the following paragraphs from the article?

Goodell spoke of sportsmanship when he directed the competition

committee this past offseason - in the aftermath of last season's series

of on-field confrontations between Norman, the cornerback then with

the Carolina Panthers, and Beckham, the star wide receiver of the New

York Giants - to propose a rule requiring an automatic ejection of any

player penalized twice for unsportsmanlike-conduct personal fouls in

the same game.

The owners ratified the rule after the committee pared it down to

include only certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct calls. The

automatic ejection rule has had little impact on this season thus far;

the only player ejected has been Giants center Weston Richburg.

There have been 28 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called league-

wide through Week 6 of this season, compared with 29 at the same

point last season.

(A) Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct have successfully improved players'

conduct.

(B) New rules have done little to affect sportsmanship in the game.

(C) The previous season was the first time there was poor sportsmanship in the

NFL.

(D) League owners have done a lot to improve players' sportsmanship.

2 Which of the following selections from the article shows players' frustration with penalties for

celebrating?

(A) "You're just shooting the ball over the goal post," Davis said in the home

locker room at FedEx Field after the game.

(B) "We have taunting, which is a significant issue, and taunting fouls are up this

year," Goodell said Wednesday.

(C) "I'll definitely continue to speak my opinion about it, and if they have a

problem with it, so be it."

(D) "They set the rules," Davis said. "It's our job to go out there and be in

compliance and respect it."

3 Read the first four paragraphs of the article.

Why does the author choose to begin the article with these paragraphs?

(A) to engage the reader's curiosity with unelaborated details

(B) to confuse the reader with unanswered questions

(C) to explain the controversy of the central issue in the article

(D) to clarify the central idea with a statement of opinioin

4 Read the last four paragraphs of the article.

Why does the author choose to end with these paragraphs?

(A) to illustrate that giving penalties has little impact on what the players do

(B) to illustrate that the rules have been clearly explained to the players

(C) to suggest that the players are doing their best to work with the rules

(D) to suggest that the penalties are helping the players improve their game