Coming (possibly) to an NFL game in the near future - disallowing a touchdown for taunting.
Profootballtalk.com reported Wednesday said that Dean Blandino, the NFL Head of Officiating told the NFL Network that he believes the Competition Committee will look at changing the NFL's taunting rule to make them more similar to taunting rules in the NCAA.
The NFL rule became a topic after Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate began taunting St. Louis Rams defenders at the Rams 25 on an 80-yard touchdown reception. Officials threw a flag before Tate got to the end zone.
In the NCAA, a taunting penalty on a play resulting in a touchdown negates the touchdown, and a 15-yard penalty is applied to the spot where the taunting player committed the infraction.
"A lot of people felt that the touchdown shouldn't have counted [but] a taunting foul is always treated as a dead-ball foul, meaning whatever happened during the play counts, and the foul is enforced on the next play, which would be the kickoff," Blandino told the NFL Network as reported by profootballtalk.com. "In college, this action would take back the touchdown. Tate started taunting at the 25-yard line. The college rule, that's enforced at the spot of the foul, so they'd go from a touchdown to first-and-10 at the 40, which would be a gigantic penalty. The NFL rule, it's a dead-ball foul, it's enforced on the kickoff. But I'm sure that's something that the Competition Committee will look at in the offseason."
After the game, Tate apologized to his teammates for the move, but no report has surfaced whether he apologized to the Rams organization.
CBSSports.com reported Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said: "That is not the way we want to play. That is not who we are. He is more mature than that. He is a playful, spirited guy who had too much fun at the wrong time. It was not the right thing to do and he knew it."
After this season, such an act might get a more negative reaction, based on the consequences.
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