MIAMI GARDENS ― Ollie Gordon II knows the flag hurt the Dolphins, and he’s not trying to hide from it.
Three days after Miami’s loss to the New England Patriots, the running back said the unsportsmanlike taunting penalty was on him.
“I took it too far,” Gordon said in the Dolphins locker room.
Still, the play that drew the penalty has opened a bigger question: where exactly is the line? Gordon was fired up after a 5-yard gain and shouted at a Patriots defender, but he did not swing at anyone, spit on anyone or pretend to shoot anybody with a musket. The moment looked like the kind of trash talk that shows up all over pro football.
The NFL’s rulebook says players should not stand over an opponent, point or verbally confront an opponent, gesture in an opponent’s face, follow an opponent after the play is over or demean or embarrass an opponent with a prolonged demonstration. That standard, at least from the outside, can feel loose enough to leave players guessing.
Gordon said as much when asked about it.
“I feel like it’s random and vague, it just depends on the crew you have for that day,” Gordon conceded, when asked if it is random and vague. “You know, some crews that let you ride, let you talk, some of them they won’t tolerate it at all. So it’s one of those things you got to kind of just I know, try to figure out which one it is.”
Miami coach Jeff Hafley said emotion is tough to manage in the moment, especially for a young player.
“Sometimes it’s hard in the moment,” Hafley said of tempering emotion. “And if it’s hard for coaches in the moment, imagine how hard it is for a 21-year-old in the moment.”
Hafley also said there may be a line, but he’s never been handed a rulebook that spells out exactly which words are off-limits.
“Maybe there is, but I’ve never gotten a book that says you can’t use these words. I think it goes back to how you should treat people. I think myself, just like a player, there’s times when frustration builds and there’s times you got to take a deep breath and take a step back before you say something that one, you shouldn’t say and two, you regret.”
Gordon’s penalty was costly. The momentum swung, and the Patriots scored 21 straight points in a comeback win. Gordon said he should have handled it differently and simply gone back to the huddle.
Chop Robinson, another Dolphins player, said he isn’t worried about drawing an unsportsmanlike call for his “Chop” celebration as long as it stays with teammates.
The issue isn’t limited to Miami, either. Earlier this year, the NFL and NFLPA had to issue a joint statement after players such as Kyle Juszczyk of the 49ers were penalized for appearing to drink from a juice box on the field after a play. The league and union later agreed: “Recent celebrations imitating drinking a beverage will not be considered violations or result in discipline.”
Gordon, for his part, says he’s not planning to stop talking altogether.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be done trash talking,” Gordon said. “It’s one of those things, kind of adds fuel to the fire for the game. So maybe we just turn it down a little bit instead of so much after every play, we’ll turn it down.”
He’s owning the mistake. The bigger question is whether the mistake should have been a penalty in the first place.
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