By: Gina Morelli
The NFL is making their feelings on guns known.
They clearly don’t want their players expressing anything pro-gun.
And this anti-gun crackdown has led to one player being punished.
Jalen McMillan, a wide receiver for the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had just gotten a first down in a key game to lock up the division title.
He was clearly excited about this pivotal play, and he decided to celebrate it by making finger guns and pointing towards the end zone to signal that he had gotten a first down.
This drew the ire of the NFL, which had put a rule in place that no player may make “finger guns,” or else they will receive a 15-yard penalty.
That is exactly what happened to McMillan, who may or may not actually have strong pro-gun views but was simply trying to celebrate a big play.
He was flagged for the celebration and the ball was moved back 15 yards due to the NFL not wanting to be associated with guns in any way.
This drew the outrage of people across the country who saw McMillan’s celebration as totally harmless.
According to Outkick, “Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Jalen McMillan was flagged for an ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ penalty against the Saints after ‘firing the cannons.’”
“McMillan flashed two ‘forward’ finger gestures after catching the first down, and a ref saw it as McMillan flashing ‘finger guns,’ which typically prompts a flag in the No Fun League.”
McMillan wasn’t trying to signal his support for repealing “assault weapons bans,” or his opposition to red flag laws, or his desire to abolish the ATF.
Nor was he trying to commit a mock act of violence against his opponents. He was literally just trying to celebrate a first down.
The article continues, “New York Giants wideout Darius Slayton received a similar penalty to McMillan’s, though Slayton made his case that the two fingers pointing toward the endzone was a ‘first down’ gesture.
“The Bucs offense sputtered after crossing the 50, including the wideout’s flag, but McMillan made another appearance on the drive, making up for his mistakes.”
“NFL fans pointed out the cowardly penalty and reacted to the wild drive by the Bucs.”
Thankfully for the Bucs, they managed to beat the Saints and win the division title even after the ridiculous penalty.
But one has to wonder what would happen if a player made a similar gesture in the last two minutes of the Super Bowl during a one-possession game after a critical first down.
Would the NFL potentially rob a team of a Super Bowl championship purely over their distaste for firearms?
Or would the NFL decide to swallow their whistle in a key moment like that in an effort to not tip the scales in favor of one particular team?
It’s unfortunate that such a question would even have to be asked, since the game should be decided on the field, not by the political preferences of top league officials who don’t like guns.