NFL Rumors: 'No Immediate Plans' to Change Taunting Enforcement Despite Criticism

There has been significant blowback regarding the NFL's emphasis on taunting penalties this season, but the league believes the enforcement has been "going as planned," according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

"The NFL has no immediate plans to have its competition committee intervene to modify enforcement of the rule, according to three people familiar with the situation," Maske reported.

The league believes the players will adjust to the new policy.

There have been 11 taunting calls through two weeks of the 2021 season, including eight in Week 2, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. 

The NFL announced in August it would strictly enforce taunting this season as one of its points of emphasis. 

New York Giants owner John Mara, who is on the Competition Committee, discussed the reasoning last month:

"We get kind of sick and tired of the taunting that does go on from time to time on the field. We tried to balance the sportsmanship with allowing the players to have fun and there's always a fine line there, but none of us like to see that. It's just a question of whether you can have rules that can be enforced and without taking the fun out of the game too, but nobody wants to see a player taunting another player. I know, I certainly don't. I think the rest of the members of the Competition Committee feel the same way, too."

Despite this thought process, many of the calls have been widely criticized by fans. The NFL Players Association also showed its distaste for the officiating:

"You're taking the passion and the emotions out of the game of football," Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams said of the officiating, per Brady Henderson of ESPN. 

Adams noted his team will have to "play smarter" to avoid penalties in the future—which is seemingly exactly what the NFL wants—but taunting could remain a divisive topic as the season progresses.