Not NFHS!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by zm1283

I understand the crackdown on taunting. I get it why they are wanting to address it. I just don't see how you could judge this particular play as taunting in any way. If he had turned around and pointed at the defensive player as he was running, fine. If he high-stepped, fine. I just don't see how this is anywhere close to anything like that.

This would be like a baseball umpire ejecting a head coach the first time he opens his mouth about ball/strike call in a game. Balls and strikes are off limits by rule, but do you eject the first time a coach says something? Of course not. It seems that good judgment was sorely lacking here.

Baseball has nothing to do with this call. Football made a rule to remedy a problem that was unique to their sport. We do not have penalties in baseball that add strikes or balls to an offended team for unsportsmanlike conduct like you do in other sports with either yardage or awarding an opportunity to score like in basketball. The NCAA was specific about this. If any rules body wanted to change a rule in baseball and award runs or award bases based on an unsportsmanlike act, then this would be a good comparison. But that being said umpires in baseball eject coaches and players for all kinds of things that are not stated in the rules, like drawing a line in the sand with a bat. And umpires debate all the time what they can or cannot handle from coaches and players. Mostly those debates are about personal standards, not clear rules or guidelines. This rule has many example of what was over the limit and this was one of them. It is unfortunate, but it is the case.

Peace