The NFL is considering a rule that would ban players from using the N-word on the field — penalizing them 15 yards for a first offense and ejecting them from the game for the second.
The NFL’s competition committee is also looking into ways to reduce other racial and gender-specific slurs during games, according to Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, who’s also a member of the committee.
Being able to enforce such a rule won’t be an issue, he insisted.
“There are mics on the field that pick up everything,” Newsome said on Saturday at the league’s combine. “If something is being said, it’s probably going to be captured somewhere. It would be an opportunity to get it verified if we have to.”
A vote on a potential rule change won’t take place until March, when NFL owners meet in Orlando, Fla. If there’s no consensus then, the owners could revisit the issue in May.
The fact that the rule is being considered drew both praise and ridicule from fans Saturday on Twitter. “NFL to step up and penalize players or coaches for using N-word. 15 yards first time and potential ejection with the second. NBA your turn,” tweeted Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a Minnesota sportswriter and the father of the Arizona Cardinals star receiver of the same name.
Others offered faint criticism of the proposal, but for the most part even the critics seemed supportive.
“So you can say Redskin but not the N-word in the NFL. How’s that work? Can they get rid of the R word now?” tweeted @clarencehilljr,
“Apparently the 1st amendment doesn’t apply to the workplace of the NFL,” said @Alge_Crumpler, a former Atlanta Falcons tight end. “But I agree that the N-Word has to go away.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group of minority coaches and game officials, first called on players to stop using the racial slur in November after two incidents.
Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams was accused of directing it toward an official during a game in Philadelphia, and then-Miami Dolphin Richie Incognito used it in a voicemail to Jonathan Martin, who left the team in October after saying he was bullied by teammates.