Antonio Brown Touchdown Celebrations Addressed by Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he and head coach Mike Tomlin have addressed excessive celebration penalties with wide receiver Antonio Brown. 

“Yeah, we did,” Roethlisberger said on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan (h/t CBS Pittsburgh). “He knows, we all know, Coach Tomlin brought it up yesterday, that is a huge penalty that we can’t do. We put our kick coverage team in a bad situation and we can’t have it, and AB knows that.”

Brown drew an excessive celebration call, his third of the season, on his first of three scores in the Steelers' Thanksgiving Day win over the Indianapolis Colts. The All-Pro wideout finished with five receptions for 91 yards and his first three-touchdown game of the season; he did not celebrate on his subsequent two touchdowns.

After pointing out he'd prefer Brown to avoid celebration penalties in the future, Roethlisberger hinted he believes referees put an increased spotlight on Brown because it was a nationally televised game.

“I know for a fact that he’s scored touchdowns in one o’clock games that aren’t the big prime-time games and they haven’t flagged him,” he said.

Brown's dance, which can best be described as a twerk, has been deemed "sexually suggestive" by the NFL. He was previously penalized in a Week 1 win over Washington and in a Week 4 win over the Kansas City Chiefs—the latter came despite Brown following the so-called "two pump" rule. The Steelers had gone their next six games without a Brown penalty, though that could have been partially because that included two losses. 

"We had a setback in that area, but I don't think it requires additional discussion," Tomlin told reporters of celebrations.

The excessive celebration penalty results in kicking teams being forced to make the kickoff from its own 20-yard line. Opponents are in turn more likely to return the kick and have better field position, putting the defense and special teams at a disadvantage.

We can debate the silliness of the NFL's mandate against any form of exuberance; it's something that's probably worth examining on a micro and macro level. But until the rules change, Brown is putting his team at a disadvantage with every gyration. With the 6-5 Steelers battling for their playoff lives, the smart money is on Brown keeping things G-rated going forward. 

    

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