Head of NFL refs says 'nothing is worse' than penalizing a player for celebrating after a big play, and he hopes the system changes
The NFL cracked down on celebrations in the 2016 season, leading to lots of flags after touchdowns, big catches, tackles, etc. and lots of wasted time.
Referees felt that burden, too, as Scott Green, head of the NFL Referees Association, told Sirius XM radio on Saturday. Green said "nothing is worse" than having to penalize a player for celebrating after a big play, and he hopes the rules change to help the process.
"Nothing is worse than someone going 80 yards for a touchdown and then we're trying to figure out does that warrant a flag for what he's doing in the end zone," Green said, via Sporting News' Alex Marvez.
"We don't really enjoy that. If we could get to a point where it would simply be fines by the league, that would be great. The issue we'll still have is that guys can get pretty creative out there. The question of whether it's a foul or not a foul, hopefully we'll get closer to more of a black-and-white situation."
According to Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, the NFL is apparently considering going in the opposite direction by making celebration penalties strictly enforced on field and not through fines.
The celebration rules, of course, have come under scrutiny. The NFL announced it would be releasing a guide to for acceptable and unacceptable celebrations, which was ripped apart by Green Bay Packers tight end Martellus Bennett, who said the league could better utilizes its time.
The most obvious solution would be to loosen the rules, and thus, helping what the NFL hopes to accomplish: a quicker, less drawn-out, more fun game.