“Wasn’t in the field of play” Perry Fewell affirms there were no rules broken by Panthers WR DJ Moore for helmet-removing celebration according to a loophole
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Recently, the duo of DJ Moore and PJ Walker collaborated for one of the best touchdowns in the NFL this season in the game between the Falcons and the Panthers. Panthers QB PJ Walker has been nothing but exceptional since he became a starter and has shown great chemistry with WR Moore.
Late in the Panthers-Falcons game QB Walker produced an amazing Hail Mary pass for 61 yards that found WR DJ Moore at the end-zone, resulting in a touchdown that tied the game for overtime. Although the Panthers lost the game eventually, the touchdowns and the following celebration by Moore became a talking point.
Moore removed his helmet in excitement to celebrate the touchdowns while going into the stands. Though there was nothing wrong in celebrating, NFL rules clearly state that you can’t remove your helmet.
The 1997 rule by the NFL clearly states that the players can’t remove their helmets or other things on the field or in the end-zone for celebration due to safety reasons.
Moore was heavily criticized for his celebration, but there were some people who argued otherwise and stated that the 20-year-old rule is outdated.
Perry Fewell, NFL’s VC for officiating administration, took notice of the celebration and stated that there was nothing wrong with DJ Moore’s celebration due to an apparent loophole.
Fewell stated that Moore wasn’t the only player to remove his helmet and later added that the Panthers WR was neither in the end-zone nor in the field of play when he removed his helmet, the WR was clearly near the stands.
“Unfortunately, at times, game officials announce the wrong number when we have multiple violations. So [Moore] was not in the field of play when he initially took the helmet off. But there were multiple players in the field of play when they took their helmets off.” Perry Fewell stated on footballzebras.com
Perry Fewell believes it wasn’t a foul, as DJ Moore was clearly out of the ‘field of play’
DJ Moore‘s late celebration was considered a foul by the officiators, but according to the loophole there was nothing wrong with it and the foul should have been canceled straight away.
However, if Fewell is correct, then this rule change can create serious repercussions as the players will now have the liberty to remove their helmets whenever they are out of the field of play or the end zone. This can create serious situations that can endanger the safety of players.
The league still has to clarify if there is a change in a rule or if the loophole is correct. As things stand, the celebration by Panthers WR DJ Moore resulted in a foul and it’s not been canceled since then.
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Aamir Jethwa
(1484 Articles Published)