You might be wondering how I got to the point where I decided to put up a picture of a Kansas City Chiefs running back pointing at Kathie Lee Gifford's son (not really her child).
Frankly, it is to call out the bs taunting rules that the NFL enforced last offseason.
In a game against the Cowboys this Sunday, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the running back in the picture, got called for a taunting penalty for simply pointing at Dallas linebacker Luke Gifford as he was strolling in for a touchdown.
This has been far from the only notable horrid taunting call this season.
The week before, some genius refs decided to call an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for yelling "I'm Back!" after scoring a touchdown.
The touchdown he scored was his first regular season play from scrimmage. How could he be so excited and mean? How dare he!
The other prominent example and the costliest one had to do with newly activated practice squad member and Chicago Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh.
This one may be and in my opinion is the most infuriating one not just because it is a stupid call, but also because the Bears looked like they had an opportunity to win the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and lost because common sense is dead.
After Marsh got his first sack of the season late in the fourth quarter on a pivotal third down play, he galloped towards the Steelers sideline and was just staring in that direction not saying a word or directing anything towards anyone.
That's when the refs saved the day from the horrible, tattooed blonde-haired person with a mullet and made the taunting call.
The Steelers ended up adding a field goal on that possession and winning 26-20.
Two days after the game (Nov. 10), the NFL was unapologetic as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Officiating Perry Fewell responded by saying "He takes several steps towards the Pittsburgh bench, posturing towards their sideline."
Marsh, after the game said that it was absolutely not a penalty.
I think it was pretty clear to everybody to who saw it that I wasn't taunting," Marsh said. "The NFL feels different."
The NFL rulebook states "The use of baiting or taunting acts or words that engender ill will between teams" as the definition of taunting. Additionally, a 15-yard penalty will be thrown if an individual were to violate that act.
To say that definition is vague would be a huge understatement.
Look at the above examples; do any of them definitively meet those criteria?
And how did this all start?
The theory is this all started when Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. threw up the peace sign to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the closing moments of Super Bowl 55.
The irony of the NFL being upset about that is beyond comprehension.
The NFL players cannot possibly be offended by other teams talking a little smack. If they are, it is peak irony since their teammates and/or they are doing the same thing.
The people who are offended are rich, billionaire -- and for the most part -- white male billionaire owners.
To give some perspective, here are a couple of dumb quotes from these sleazy so-called purists:
New York Giants owner John Mara said "We get kind of sick and tired of the talking that does go on from time to time on the field. We try to balance the sportsmanship with allowing the players to have fun. There's always a fine line. None of us like to see that. It's just a question of whether you can have rules that can be enforced without taking the fun out of the game, too (note: the fun has been taken out). Nobody wants to see a player taunting another player. I know I certainly don't. I know the rest of the members of the competition committee feel the same, too."
Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay said "Taunting is trying to entice that other player into some type of activity that is not allowed in football. So this year, the first issue brought to us by the NFLPA was that there was too much player-on-player taunting activity, and there was too much in your face."
Right, because too much in your face hurts your fragile little feelings to the point where the NFL feels the need to fine the players thousands of dollars.
Talk about narcissism, their feelings are hurt, but the players most of the time are fine with a little back and forth.
What hurts the players the most is having to pay fines on plays that are not taunting.
In a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, former Indianapolis Colts running back Benny Lemay trucked through defenders for a hard-earned 15-yard run.
A guy who was fighting to get on an NFL roster made a great play and felt the need to express his feelings by flexing his arms and getting excited.
Unfortunately for him, he got called for a 15-yard penalty because he allegedly was directing his emotions at someone.
Video evidence shows though he was facing someone for a brief second, he had no ill-intent to offend anyone and seemed to pump up the crowd after he made a big play.
Who wouldn't want to shake their head and let off a little bit of a roar; maybe even talk a little smack?
Lemay was fined $3,667 which reportedly is roughly half of his training camp paycheck.
The NFL does not care about taunting rules. This is clearly a money grab and a power move on their part to keep the athletes in line and remind them that they are the ones in charge.
If they cared, former NFL players would not have sued the NFL for covering up their concussions while they continue to play.
Tons of players have claimed they have suffered severe and permanent brain damage because of the above.
Last month, it was reported that the NFL had reached a settlement and paid "$765 million without fault, to fund medical exams and compensate players for concussion-related health issues, among other things."
To top it all off, in 2020 two former black NFL players said the NFL discriminated against them and other black players by using race-based benchmarks to determine their eligibility for dementia-based payouts which probably cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The players, Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry made a damning claim that the NFL race-corrected and rigged the results of their neurological exams so that they would not be compensated.
Even though the two would eventually have their civil-rights suit thrown out, them raising their voices brought light to a much bigger issue.
Lawyer Christopher Seeger, who represented numerous players during the concussion trial, felt the need to respond by saying he wished he had seen this catastrophe sooner.
"I am sorry for the pain this episode has caused Black former players and their families," Seeger said. "Ultimately, this settlement only works if former players believe in it, and my goal is to regain their trust and ensure the N.F.L. is fully held to account."
Good for Seeger finally realizing what the NFL truly is all about -- not about the well-being of players -- not about whether they get their feelings hurt or not -- and even not about making the league a better place -- they are about money and politics, and they have an every man for himself mentality.
The NFL's taunting hypocrisy is the worst kind because it portrays a bunch of elderly statesmen as innocent and fragile when they are wolves in sheep clothing who have done a lot worse than "taunt."
If the same rules applied to them as athletes, there would be so many suspensions and fines that it would be a purge.
With the evidence I have given, it is not too far-fetched to come to that conclusion.
Anyways, let me know if I rambled too much in the comment section if you want to. I felt like I needed to unload frustration somehow.
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