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Are gun celebrations in the NFL and college going too far?

Posted on by Kennedy
Are gun celebrations in the NFL and college going too far?

South Carolina freshman edge defender Dylan Stewart turned a sack on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart in the Gamecocks' upset loss on Saturday into a debate when he mimicked firing a shotgun at Dart.

With the Gamecocks trailing 24-3 at the time, Stewart's ill-advised penalty helped Ole Miss extend its drive and score a field goal to complete the 27-3 victory.

Dart got the last laugh when he called out Stewart on Young Dolph. It was released in 2017 as a diss track for Yo Gotti after his vehicle was reportedly shot at over 100 times in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Stewart wasn't the only player punished for pretending to use a gun in football.

Minnesota defensive lineman Justin Walley received a 15-yard penalty for “simulating brandishing a weapon” late in Minnesota's 24-17 win over No. 11 USC after the defender lifted his jersey to allegedly pretending to hold a gun at his waist.

The trend is becoming more apparent as officials in both the NCAA and NFL begin cracking down on gun-related celebrations.

The NFL has taken another step, fining five players significantly for gun-related celebrations already this season. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London was fined $14,069 for pretending to shoot a gun in the air after catching a touchdown in the win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

“It's a trend in football right now to have these types of celebrations,” London told ESPN. “It was my first Monday Night Football game. I kind of lost myself in it. I wasn't happy with the position I put my team in… There are a lot of things going on in the world with gun violence that I…” I don't think I should have shown up there. So I'm not particularly happy with it and (you) probably won't see that from me again.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris didn't see London's celebration, but sided with London and said he meant no harm.

“I didn’t see it at first,” Morris said. “I guess it was the use of a weapon, people interpreted that as punishment. Drake is a great boy. His intention was not to use a weapon. To be honest, he probably shot t-shirts into the stands because that's just the kind of guy he is. He was excited. He was excited. He is one of those who plays with great energy. He immediately apologized before I could correct him.”

On Sunday, NFL officials were inconsistent with more subtle finger-gun celebrations.

New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton was penalized for a finger-shot celebration after a 41-yard catch against the Seattle Seahawks. Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb made a similar gesture down the sideline after a 27-yard grab but was not penalized.

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