About The Refs

Better not do a chest bump in the end zone, that will be an automatic 15yds!

I was hoping the Washington-BYU controversy might have been the catalyst to review and clarify the "excessive celebration" rule. As I mentioned after the Virginia game when it was called on the Trojans, it is such an arbitrary and subjective rule that there cannot be any uniformity in enforcing it. They should allow the kids to jump around and congratulate each other for up to 15 seconds so long as they are not throwing the ball in the air, playing to the crowd, or taunting the opposition.

Touchdowns are difficult to score, it is a highly dangerous game, so when a kid does score it is a very emotional moment, so let the kids vent for a while. Besides, the crowd loves to see these team celebrations.

As long as there's not props, choreography or taunting involved I have no problem with endzone celebrations.

I didn't notice but Wolf mentioned that Rey and at least one other guy not involved with the play came onto the field. If one is looking for some sort of uniform rules in enforcing excessive celebration, players not involved in the scoring down stepping on the field might be a place to start.

The excessive celebration rule prohibits a player from tossing the ball in the air to celebrate a TD. Locker tossed the ball in the air. The ref enforced the rule. It is a stupid rule, but it was enforced. I agree that the ref could have exercised some restraint in calling the penalty. However, a referee cannot be blamed for enforcing a rule. If he doesn't always enforce it, then he may be accused of selective enforcement. The rules committee needs to re-examine and re-write the rule.

Of course, in days long ago, the player who scored merely handed the ball to the ref. I recall that was Marcus Allen's MO. He treated it like he had been there before, and would be there again (and soon). Anthony Davis did that little celebration on his knees when he scored, and THAT was considered provocative. There is nothing wrong with a brief celebration with teammates. Like Sam Gilbert said, a penalty should be called only if it amounts to taunting or planned celebration.

However, I don't know that the penalty, in fact, cost Washington the game. It was only a 35-yard kick, as opposed to a 20-yd kick. However, the kick was low and thus blocked. (Had the 35-yd kick sailed wide at the last moment, then the penalty would have had a direct connection to the miss.) Presumably, that low kick would have been blocked whether it was a 35-yd or 20-yd. (It is not like a 50-yd FG where the kicker may have to sacrifice a higher trajectory for a longer distance.) Besides, BYU has experience in blocking last second kicks, right fUCLA?