The NFL Referees Association wants the NFL to put a stop to coaches lowering their face coverings to argue with officials. One coach isn’t interested in penalizing coaches for unsportsmanlike conduct when they do it.
“Rules are rules,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said. “We don’t need anymore. We’ve got enough rules.”
But we already have a rule: Coaches must wear a face covering at all times. There are no exceptions for calling plays or yelling instructions or giving an official the business, verbally.
Already, coaches are subject to fines, suspensions, and/or forfeited draft picks for failing to comply. Why not give them a more immediate consequence?
Considering that Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson got ejected for merely shoving an officials arm away from Robinson as he was trying to get out of a pileup, how is it permissible for a coach to get in the face of an official, with an uncovered face? Given the realities of the pandemic, the least of the penalties should be 15 yards of field position.