Orlando, Fla. – They may have removed the prop from a player’s touchdown celebration, but the NFL will not strip the inalienable rights from a football player.
By a 29-3 vote, the NFL approved a sportsmanship amendment Wednesday that prohibits players from engaging in excessive touchdown celebrations. Specifically, the NFL doesn’t want players using the ball, pylon or in some cases the goal post as a prop. Players cannot, as Detroit wide receiver Roy Williams did on Thanksgiving, drop to the ground and pose.
The ground rule, however, does have an exception.
“They will be allowed to pray,” said Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who co-chairs the competition committee with Atlanta general manager Rich McKay. “We didn’t clearly write that in there, but it was brought up to the committee, and if a player wants to drop to one knee, he can do that. That will be obvious to the official.”
Touchdown scorers will be allowed to creatively dance, so wide receivers such as Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens won’t be completely starved from their exhibitionism cravings. But the dance can last only until the official says enough. If the dance continues, the official can call a 15-yard penalty, assessed on the kickoff, for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Spiking, spinning and dunking the ball are permissible, although players cannot slide on the goal post.
Los Angeles issue
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has been placed on an NFL committee charged with helping to bring an NFL franchise back to Los Angeles. Currently, there are six prospective ownership groups and two proposed stadium sites – one at the existing Coliseum, which would be torn down to make room for a new facility, and another in Anaheim.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the Los Angeles committee would hear proposals for each site before the next league meetings, May 23-24 in Denver.
While Tagliabue wouldn’t rule out Los Angeles getting a new franchise, which would expand the league to 33 teams, Bowlen said he would rather the nation’s second-largest market eventually receive a team through relocation.
“I’d like to keep at 32,” he said.
Sorry, Al
After much discussion, NFL coaches struck down a proposal that would allow the defensive captain to get coaches’ signals through a helmet speaker, as quarterbacks do.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan had said middle linebacker Al Wilson would have been the guy to receive the Denver headset.
Playoff plan put off
Tagliabue’s impending resignation can’t hurt the Kansas City Chiefs’ proposal to expand the playoff system from 12 teams to 14. He made it clear in his meetings-wrapping news briefing that he is against playoff expansion.
“You get into dilution and other issues you shouldn’t get into,” he said.
However, Tagliabue soon will have no say on the matter because of his retirement, and the competition committee decided to table – rather than outright reject – the Chiefs’ 14-team proposal, saying more time was needed to review the television aspects.
Closer look at fumbles
Fumbles played through to recovery, even though the runner has been ruled down by contact by a whistle-blowing official, are now subject to replay review.
