I missed that one, and that could be a messy rule, as it could change outcomes of games. This from an ESPN article today. http://espn.go.com/college-football/preview11/story/_/id/6841665/conferences-coaches-players-2011
This is a ridiculous rule change. If my team gets screwed out of a score for celebrating a touchdown I will have a coniption fit.
it does seem like a very "gray area" type rule. I mean "When the ball is live" so you cant celebrate if you are a lineman 40 yards behind the play when someone took it to the house? But as soon as the ball crosses the end zone its a dead ball so its ok? Yeah something we agree on Tlong
This isn't what it appears. The rule states any action deemed "very demonstrative" or "taunting" before a player crosses the goal line will result in no touchdown and a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. So, if someone say, dives across the end zone, summersaults, points the football at an opponent, a team could see a penalty that results in loss of TD and ball placed at 15. The rule has been around for a while and the only new addition is the removal of points. Basically, taunting an opponent on the way to scoring has become a live ball foul.
Haha, yah. I'm not too worried with the key word being before the TD. Actually, I think it leads to better sportsmanship to keep the live play free of taunting. Normal rules apply to post TD celebrations, so we still get to see the players reasonably celebrate. It's not a call I expect to see used a lot - especially for home teams.
