Tag Archives: referee

NFL to Outlaw Taunting in Crackdown on Near-the-Knuckle Play

When you spend your afternoon/evening running into people at full pace, attempting to put them on the deck, it kind of goes without saying that your blood will start to pump a little more aggressively. 

That can manifest itself in all manner of ways and, in the NFL, one of the most common is for steam to be let off as part of post-touchdown celebration and taunting. 

From the sublime to the ridiculous, taunting is part of the theater of football. From a tackler running their mouth when they have sacked a quarterback, to a TD scorer letting their opponents know how much they enjoyed crossing the line, this part celebration, part tribalism is an inherent part of the game. 

And so it has been met with much frustration that NFL officials, as part of their rule change and points of emphasis framework for the 2021-22 season, have decreed that they will be stamping out taunting in all its various forms. 

The NFL's annual rule change and points of emphasis video notes game officials have been instructed to strictly enforce taunting rules in 2021. Two violations results in automatic ejection, with fines and even suspensions (!!) in play, too.

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Going forward, a taunting offense will see the team in question hit with a 15-yard penalty, while two taunting violations in a game will be punishable with fines and/or automatic ejection.  

Officials are keen to instil a sense of ‘respect’ back into the game, with the competition committee chairman, Rich McKay, stating: “We saw an increase in actions that clearly are not within the spirit and intent of this rule, [and] is not representative of the respect to opponents and others on the field.” 

One of the prime examples of taunting last season came in the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill gesticulated at the Bucs defenders as he crossed the line for a touchdown, leaving them rather incensed. As Tampa closed in on a revenge victory in the Super Bowl, their safety Antoine Winfield Jr flashed the same gesture right in the face of Hill. 

According to the NFL odds on bet365 for the Super Bowl, those two franchises are on a collision course to meet in the championship game next February once again, and so will Hill, Winfield, or anyone else for that matter, be tempted to taunt an opponent despite the punishments available? 

The Numbers Game 

Every year, there’s a raft of rule changes ahead of the new NFL season – some important and attention-grabbing, others less so. 

Whether you will care that the restrictions on some jersey numbers have been lifted may just depend on whether you plan on buying a replica shirt or not. 

Nothing riles up NFL fans more than seeing what jersey numbers their favorite players are donning each season. However, in the case of Mac Jones, his number may be met with some confusion.

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But a regulatory change will now see a wider pool of players being able allowed to wear single-digit numbers, as well as those between 80-89. That includes running backs, tight ends and wide receivers alongside the traditional quarterbacks and kickers. 

Defensive backs can now also choose any number between 1 and 49, while linebackers can opt for 1-59 or 90-99, but linesmen still have the slimmer pickings of 50-79 or 90-99 to select from. 

Whether that leads to a huge sea-change in the numbers that established NFL stars wear remains to be seen, but it could certainly give the new season a different look and feel.  For the Silo, Carlos Cruz.

Summer Of Change Ahead Of New NHL Season

The new NHL season is just around the corner and you can’t say it’s been a quiet summer for the league. Throughout the NHL, there have been twists and turns throughout the offseason, setting the foundations for another fascinating campaign. On the back of a thrilling 2018/19 season in which the St. Louis Blues lifted the Stanley Cup after an enthralling finals series, over half the league will feel as though they have a realistic chance of going all the way this year. 


So, ahead of the start of the new regular season, let’s take a look at the offseason’s biggest stories:


Fenton’s Fall

Undoubtedly, the story of the summer has to be Paul Fenton’s dismissal from his role in charge of the Minnesota Wild after one dismal year. While the decision to replace Fenton with Bill Guerin was understandable, to do so after the draft and free agency has been something many have questioned. The question is now whether or not the Wild will respond on the ice.


RFAs Still On Offer

It’s particularly strange to see so many restricted free agents still available at this point in the offseason. Mitch Marner (now signed), Mikko Rantanen, Kyle Connor and Ivan Provorov are just four unsigned RFAs, with many more still expected to hold talks with their franchises throughout preseason training, with some potentially remaining up in the air by the time the regular campaign gets started.  


Devils And Rangers Set To Do Battle


The division that has caught the attention the most throughout the summer has been the Metropolitan. The New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers could be set to rekindle their rivalry after picking up the top two draft selections as well as signing some top veterans – both now around 40/1 with the latest NHL betting odds to win the Stanley Cup. It’s been a while since these two were able to battle it out at the top of the Metropolitan, but that could change this season.

Managerial Merry-Go-Round

Having a Red Wings hero as a player, Steve Yzerman is back in Detroit this season looking to have a similar impact as a general manager after leaving Tampa Bay. The man he’s replacing, Ken Holland, will look to turn around the fortunes of Edmonton. In terms of head coaches, six teams will start the new season with a new man behind their bench. They may be two years away from joining the league but Seattle’s NHL team know former Pittsburgh, Carolina and Toronto man Ron Francis will be their general manager.

“Matt Duchene” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by 5of7

Predators Risk It All

There’s no doubt the Nashville Predators needed to solve the huge power-play issues they struggled with last year but they may have taken a big risk to try to achieve that. To make room for forward Matt Duchene, the Predators decided it was P.K. Subban who would have to make way for Duchene, with the defenceman joining the Devils. Now, we will see whether swapping one of the best defenders in the league for, hopefully, a game-breaking forward pays off.