Indianapolis Colts running back Benny LeMay will have to come to grips with the NFL's enforcement of taunting penalties. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Colts called for questionable taunting penalty against Panthers

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 8/15/21

The NFL announced recently that it will place a greater emphasis on taunting penalties this season, and we saw a troubling example of that during Sunday’s preseason game between the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts.

Colts running back Benny LeMay had a strong run in the third quarter that went for a first down and then some. He kept his legs churning and carried several defenders with him, and he was understandably fired up about the play. LeMay stood up and appeared to briefly talk trash to a Panthers player, which immediately drew a flag.

Here’s a video of the play:

This is an example of the taunting the league doesn't want to see in games. Just happened in the #Panthers–#Colts game.pic.twitter.com/Tu70GjBxwU

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 15, 2021

Unless LeMay said something incredibly offensive that the official heard, that didn’t seem like enough to warrant a penalty. If officials are going to consistently throw flags for plays such as this one, it is going to have a huge impact on the game.

Of course, we have seen situations in the past when NFL officials emphasize something in the preseason and are then hesitant to call it during the regular season. We can only hope that is the case with the taunting emphasis, although one coach made it clear this week that he doesn’t care if his team taunts a specific opponent.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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