Football fans were vocally upset on Twitter, Sunday, after seeing the new NFL taunting rules implemented during the first week of the preseason. A call on Indianapolis Colts running back Benny LeMay, in particular, made the rounds online.
During the 3rd quarter of the Colts matchup with the Carolina Panthers, LeMay broke free on a run that ended with him carrying a pile of defenders for about 10 extra yards. Afterward, he subtly flexed in front of the defenders and a flag was thrown.
Justin Casterline / Getty Images
“Just awful no one wants this,” one fan wrote. “If you cant flex on em after dragging dudes 10 yards why even play?”
A Colts beat writer wrote: “No Fun League strikes again with a taunting penalty against fourth-string RB Benny LeMay, who had the audacity to be excited about his 14-yard run.”
The increased effort to crack down on taunting, this year, will target “baiting or taunting acts or words” and “abusive, threatening or insulting language or gestures,” according to the NFL’s unsportsmanlike conduct rules.
“The N.F.L. Players Association, coaches and competition committee have all made a strong statement regarding respect among everyone on the field,” the NFL recently said in a statement. “We saw an increase in actions that clearly are not within the spirit and intent of this rule and not representative of the respect to opponents and others on the field.”
Check out responses to the call below.
[Via]