The NFL’s Senior Vice President of Officiating Administration, Perry Fewell, sent a memo to all head coaches and general managers on Wednesday.
“At this level of competition, emotions will run high, but no amount of emotion should give way to demeaning and offensive words, taunting, or other non-football acts,” Fewell wrote, according to CBS Sports. “No one wants a penalty, or a player ejection, to determine the outcome of a game.”
With the playoffs approaching, referees will be closely monitoring unsportsmanlike behavior such as dirty hits and taunting. Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was ejected earlier this season for a harsh late hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Similarly, Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was penalized twice for unsportsmanlike conduct in a game against the Washington Commanders.
“This memo is a reminder that the NFL standard of Sportsmanship will be strictly enforced during the playoffs,” the memo continued.
“Please assist Game Officials by encouraging sportsmanship, respect, and high standards of excellence as the competition escalates on the most visible platform,” it added. “Your active goodwill in emphasizing Sportsmanship and alerting your players and coaches to our position regarding non-football acts is greatly appreciated.”
In the 2022 NFC Championship Game, San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams and Philadelphia Eagles safety K’Von Wallace were both ejected for fighting. A player can be ejected if they receive two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during a game, or even after just one major offense. Violent gestures, such as mimicking firing a gun, are considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will result in penalties.
“It’s a long-standing policy and we are going to enforce that,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in October. “[NFL EVP of Football Operations] Troy [Vincent] had a direct conversation with the union last week about it. We’re going to continue on that focus. We don’t think it’s appropriate in those circumstances and it sends the wrong message. So, we’ll continue to do that.”
Unsportsmanlike conduct has been a point of controversy in the NFL, with some fans and former players arguing that the enforcement of these rules has become too strict. Specifically, the crackdown on violent gestures has drawn criticism, with many taking to social media to voice their opinions.
In 2023, including the playoffs, the NFL handed out 419 fines. By Week 17 of this season, that number had risen to 484 fines.
NFL officials want to avoid suspensions during the postseason and are hoping teams will take this message seriously.
The issue of taunting and penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct also made headlines following a controversial moment in the College Football Playoff semifinals. In a game between Texas and Ohio State, Texas player Gunnar Helm was penalized for pointing at an Ohio State player after stiff-arming him to the ground. Pat McAfee, a well-known sports personality, criticized the call on social media.
“Not in this moment stripes, can not do that,” McAfee posted on X.
This led to a heated debate, with fans divided on whether Helm’s actions warranted the penalty. The incident sparked further discussions about the fairness and consistency of enforcing unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, both in the NFL and in college football.
