NFL to Penalize Players for Trash Talk This Season

Every off-season the NFL discusses a number of rule changes. Some are good, some are not, and some are just flat out ridiculous--like penalizing players 15-yards for using abusive language, i.e. racial and/or gay slurs.

The rule change was not approved by the rules committee, but it appears that the NFL is going to enforce it anyway.

@john_kucko

In a video sent out to teams the NFL told players that if they are verbally abusive to an opponent they will risk incurring a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. From the Washington Post:

“We also want to stress that there will be zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike conduct, particularly verbal abuse directed at an opponent,” Dean Blandino, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, tells players during the nearly 12-minute video.

The video went as far as to specify racial slurs as well as gay slurs as language that will not be tolerated. In case the penalty was not enough punishment players will also be subject to punishment from the league office.

So why is the league doing this even though the new rule was not enacted? The league feels like it can do so within the context of existing rules.

This is not going to go well. The first time some on-field trash talk (which is essentially what this rule is outlawing) results in a penalty that affects the outcome of the game the fans are going to go nuts.

Why should it matter how polite they are when they are playing? Guys say things in the heat of the moment without thinking. So now they are going to basically have to be all business out on the field?

I understand that the NFL is trying to set an example by showing that it does not approve of racial or gay slurs. It's a great message to the fans, but as far as the game itself goes this is the definition of over-officiating.

[WashingtonPost]

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