Bellotti: Should Celebration Penalties Overturn the Touchdown?

by Husker Mike on Feb 13, 2009 6:00 AM CST in Football Comment 9 comments

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who's the head of the NCAA rules committee, is thinking about how to crack down on unsportsmanlike conduct. One of his ideas is to make unsportsmanlike conduct a live ball penalty. If a player starts doing excessive celebrating before scoring, the penalty is enforced from that spot, and the score is nullified. Think back to Nebraska/Oklahoma in 1980 and Jarvis Redwine's long run. Redwine looks back and starts pointing at the Sooner chasing him. In that case, the ref could throw the flag, and mark off ten or fifteen yards from that spot. So rather than an NU touchdown, it would be Husker ball, 1st and 10 from about the Sooner 20.

Needless to say, I've got mixed feelings about that suggestion. On one hand, you don't want to see a game decided by somebody's dumb penalty. But as we've seen showmanship starting to overwhelm sportsmanship on the field, I'm not so sure that isn't a bad idea.

In fact, I'll even take it a bit further. If it's truly an excessive celebration and it happens after the ball is in the endzone, treat it like pass interference. Wipe the touchdown off the scoreboard, and make it first and goal from the 2. Take last year's Georgia/Florida celebration when the entire Georgia squad ran onto the field. Really think that would ever happen with this rule in place?

Yes it's a game, and we shouldn't legislate the fun out of the game. But by that same manner, when you get into the end zone, act like you've been there before.

Poll

What do you think about making unsportsmanlike conduct a live ball penalty?

Good idea! It's football, not "Dancing with the Stars!"

24 votes

Maybe only when scripted and overdone, like Georgia 2007.

51 votes

The rules committee needs to lighten up. It's not harming anybody.

41 votes

Not only should it not be a live ball penalty, it shouldn't be a penalty at all.

16 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I think that’s a bad idea. Unsportsmanlike conduct is a judgment call and not consistently enforced. Should a guy lose a TD because he flipped the ball over his shoulder? (I’ve seen that flagged.)

There are a few examples of extreme conduct that probably deserves a harsher penalty. But, how big of a problem is this really?

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by siffring on Feb 13, 2009 7:30 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

that's the biggest problem

you’ve hit it exactly right – that it’s not consistently enforced.

Doesn’t seem to be that big a problem to me. To be honest, I wish they’d do something about being more consistent with their quarterback roughing calls.

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by corn blight on Feb 13, 2009 7:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Belotti just strikes me as an almost constant D-bag

I’ve never liked the guy

Men write many fine and plausible arguments in support of monarchy, but the fact remains that where every man in a state has a vote, brutal laws are impossible.

by BoVandy on Feb 13, 2009 11:01 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

To take away points

because of excessive celebration/taunting, etc. is completely insane. I think all that stuff should be a 5 yard flag after the play, 15 yard if it’s ‘really bad’!’

"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."

by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 13, 2009 11:29 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Plus, I don't see any problem

with a little high stepping and maybe even a spike. The guy earned the right….

"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."

by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 13, 2009 11:32 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yea, if it's scripted

like the GA thing, then access the 15 yds on the kick, like they did, loss of field position is enough of a penalty.

"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."

by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 13, 2009 11:34 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

"...But as we've seen showmanship starting to overwhelm sportsmanship on the field..."

Where, when? They’ve drained most of the juice out of the college game celebrations already…

The standing over a guy taunting him after he’s just been jacked up is the worst though, IMO, and should be a 15 yarder.

"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."

by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 13, 2009 11:37 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I just want

the refs to be consistant when making the call. It seems sometimes they throw the flag for a little of nothing and then not in other cases. I know it is hard to be consistant when it is a judgement call, everyone is different. Taking points away seems to be a little to harsh to me, make them kickoff from the five or something. Plus, this is hypothetical, but what if the ref is on the take. Betting on college football is big business and if you give a ref the power to take points away directly I think that could be dangerous.

by Huzkerfan on Feb 14, 2009 3:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

They aren't even consistent on the 'objective' penalties,

like holding, pass interference, chop blocking, etc., no way they can ever be consistent on these subjective celebration penalties. I think the whole thing is overblown. They should mainly clamp down on taunting—have some clear definitions of it—and gross/orchestrated forms of showboating, again clearly defined.

But even then, I say most of that is a 5 yard flag, and the more ‘severe’ forms 15—after the play is over.

Taking points away or making a team kick off from the 5 yd line is just ridiculous, IMO. I don’t know what Belotti’s problem is, but the guy has got to get a life. I’m sure he’d just loved to have a 70 yd TD run taken away from HIS team if the player high stepped a tad and pointed his ‘fingy’ at the crowd or something. Can come back to bite ya Belotti…

"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."

by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 16, 2009 7:13 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs