NFL Considering Rule To Make Saying A Certain Word A 15 Yard Penalty

Feb 3, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll (left) sits next to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) during the winning team press conference the day after Super Bowl XLVIII at Sheraton New York Times Square. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It is an odd time for the NFL.  In the midst of all the bullying scandals and human rights movements invading the front page of NFL news these days, the Fritz Pollard Alliance expects the NFL to put in a new rule which would cause the use of a certain word to be a 15 yard penalty.

The new rule will be discussed at the owners’ meeting in March.  The rule proposal was put forth by the Fritz Pollard alliance, which monitors diversity in the NFL. The head of the alliance, John Wooten, believes this is a rule that has to be put in place immediately.

That rule, is to ban the “N” word from the NFL.  If you’re not sure what the “N” word is, then you’re a lucky person.  To some, it is a racial slur that is considered derogatory.  To others, it is a word that brings forth the idea of a brotherhood.  Either way, this word could become taboo in the NFL if this rule passes.

Feb 22, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome speaks at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

“We did talk about it, I’m sure that you saw near the end of the year that Fritz Pollard came out very strong with the message that the league needs to do something about the language on the field,” Ozzie Newsome said.  Newsome is on the league’s competition committee and is currently the GM of the Baltimore Ravens. “So we did discuss over the last three days.”

Although it is not part of the initial proposal, Newsome also said that the committee discussed the possibility of penalizing other other slurs, including racial and sexually oriented slurs.

Meanwhile, Wooten strongly believes that the NFL will implement an automatic 15-yard penalty for first-time offenders and that players will be ejected for second infractions.

“I will be totally shocked if the competition committee does not uphold us on what we’re trying to do,” Wooten said in an article by CBSSports.com. “We want this word to be policed from the parking lot to the equipment room to the locker room. Secretaries, PR people, whoever, we want it eliminated completely and want it policed everywhere. I think they’re going to do what needs to be done here. There is too much disrespect in the game.”

We won’t know more about this proposed rule change until after the owners’ meeting.