Celebrations in which players mimic drinking a beverage will no longer be treated as violations, the NFL and the players’ association said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
What prompted this?
A cluster of fines. Several players were penalised in Week 2 for celebrations imitating drinking, including a San Francisco fullback whose version has been his signature for years. The union’s executive director said there were 20 celebration fines across Weeks 2 and 3, which he described as an unusual spike, and that every fined player appealed. Two of those fines were rescinded earlier Wednesday.
What is still prohibited?
Three categories, each carrying a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, a fine or both:
- Gestures depicting violence, including guns, other weapons or gang related signs
- Gestures depicting smoking or drug use
- Gestures that are sexual in nature
What is the more significant change?
The process, not the list. Under the new guidance, when conduct falls into a grey area the league will contact the player before imposing discipline that would otherwise require an appeal. That reverses the default from punish first to ask first, and it applies to every future ambiguity rather than only to this one.
Why does that matter?
Because the appeal burden fell entirely on players. Twenty fines, all appealed, with some overturned, represents a lot of process generated by a judgment call that could have been resolved with a conversation. The union framed it as communication and education before punishment, which is a reasonable description of what changed.
Was the original enforcement defensible?
The intent was. The underlying concern is alcohol promotion in a sport watched by children, which is a legitimate thing for a league to consider. The application was the problem, since officials and league staff were being asked to distinguish a mimed beer from a mimed sports drink in real time from a few seconds of footage. One of the rescinded fines involved exactly that confusion.
How did players respond?
With relief and some amusement. Teammates of the fullback said they were glad he could continue a celebration he has performed for years, with one joking about planning drink themed celebrations of his own and describing fun as part of what the league is about.
Is this part of a pattern?
Of a long running one. The league has spent two decades alternately restricting and relaxing celebration rules, with significant liberalisation in 2017 after years of criticism. NFL celebration rules tend to tighten through enforcement drift and then get loosened once the enforcement produces something absurd enough to generate coverage.
What does it change on the field?
Very little visibly, which is the point. Players will celebrate as they were already celebrating, and the league has given up a category of enforcement that was costing it more in attention than it was gaining in propriety.
