New Rules Keep Adding to Reputation of ‘No Fun League’

At the request of the league's coaches, NFL officials will crack down harder on taunting in 2021.

It isn't the touchdown celebrations NFL coaches want gone, but rather coaches want officials to focus on players going face-to-face, standing over each other or pointing fingers after big plays, said NFL's competition committee report chairman Rich McKay, per Yahoo Sports.

The article states that coaches may have asked for the change because taunting could lead to fights or personal fouls later in the game, but the move could have more negative consequences on teams. After all, when does a celebration become taunting?

"Breaking up a pass and holding up a peace sign resulted in a penalty in the Super Bowl, but Tyreek Hill's peace sign touchdown celebration did not draw a penalty flag in the regular season," Yahoo Sports reports. "Will both be penalties now? There's a chance cracking down on taunting could erase some huge plays depending on how the rule is written."

The article says that even if the coaches have good intentions with the rule, the promise of more flags on the field isn't encouraging.