Brandin Cooks Comments on NFL's Crackdown of Bow-and-Arrow Celebration

Shortly after Week 4 of the NFL concluded, the league flexed its legislative muscles once again when it fined Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman for a bow-and-arrow celebration after he was penalized for it during a game against the Cleveland Browns. 

It's a move that's upset New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks, as he spoke with Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate on Tuesday:

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I've been doing it for three years now, and there was never a complaint about it. Now, all of a sudden, there is. It just reminds me that, it's almost as if they try to take so much away from us, but for something like this, that means so much to someone that has nothing to do with violence, it's frustrating. I'll definitely continue to speak my opinion about it, and if they have a problem with it, so be it.

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As a player whose Instagram handle is "thearcher10," Cooks has made the bow-and-arrow celebration commonplace, via the NFL:

While NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino described the display as something that "mimics a violent act," per Erickson, the significance of the bow and arrow has a far more sentimental meaning that is rooted in Cooks' faith, which can be found in Psalms 144:6: "'Send forth lightning and scatter your enemy, and shoot your arrows and rout them.' I just remember it sticking with me for such a long time, I remember thinking, maybe I can do something with this."

And just because the league has stepped in to once again stifle the personality of its players, Cooks doesn't plan on retiring the celebration, per Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune:

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I'm going to figure it out, but I'm not going to change it. The league will have to deal with it. The reason for why I'm doing it and what's behind why I'm doing it doesn't have anything to do with violence. So I'm not going to change what I'm doing to satisfy what the league wants. That's not what I'm here to do.

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Cooks stood by that stance in a tweet on Thursday: 

As the Saints' No. 1 receiver and one of the quickest pass-catchers in the league, there will be plenty of opportunities for Cooks to reach into his imaginary quiver and take aim to celebrate. It will be up to the NFL, though, if it wants to shoot back at him.