Taunting

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

But here's my problem with the rule. Why the succeeding spot enforcement? Penalize it as a live ball foul from the spot of the foul, and take the touchdown away. I can guarantee that such a rule change would clean up this type of unsporting behaviour, maybe even faster than ejectd and suspending kids would.

Succeeding spot enforcement makes the most sense because the harm caused by the taunt is the same regardless of where or when it took place.

Penalizing from the spot of the foul would have ridiculously different results between incidents of USC occurring in the end zone in which the fouling team scored, and occurrences where after a breakaway TD, someone on his own 30 yard line taunts an opponent. Many occurrences of USC take place well out of bounds, and relating these to a position on the field, although a simple geometry exercise, gets to be silly.

USC also usually occurs over a longer period of time than other fouls do. At what point in time is the incident of USC deemed to have occurred -- when the player bent over, or when he pulled his pants down? Succeeding spot enforcement takes that determination away too.

Robert