Travis Kelce calls out NFL for 'whack' taunting rules

If you're a fan of the podcast New Heights, hosted by both Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, you'll know they usually run down the latest news from around the National Football League at the end of each show just to give their takes on the sport that they both play. On the latest episode out Wednesday, Travis took the league to task for a silly taunting penalty handed out to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

In case you missed the original incident, Allen and the Bills were playing perhaps their biggest game of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals in a primetime affair on Sunday Night Football. This is important because you can imagine just how much adrenaline was pumping for everyone in the stadium coming into the game.

In the first quarter in Week 9, Allen was able to run the ball into the end zone from two yards out to give the Bills an early lead. While running, he faked a throw which caught Bengals safety Nick Scott off guard as he tried to jump and defend it. The fake allowed Allen to score easily, and as part of the celebration, Allen pointed at Scott while crossing the goal line. From there, an official threw a flag on the play. The penalty? Taunting.

If that seems weak, it is. And everyone on social media commenting on the game said the same thing. Fans were irate. Analysts shook their heads. The ruling felt silly. And it turns out that the Kelce brothers agree.

When breaking down what happened, Travis Kelce spoke up on the show and said, "He got a taunting penalty for pointing at him. Because you can’t point at a guy. It’s illegal. It’s taunting. You can call ‘em anything you want, but you can’t point at ‘em. This is so f--king whack. So whack. Allen gets called for taunting and the fans online were pissed, as they should be. One of the weakest taunting calls you’ve ever seen? Probably. 

As part of the ongoing banter with Jason, Travis went on to add, "This is bogus. I’m on Josh’s team on this. This is bulls--t ... That’s f---ed up. You can’t point at a guy? This is so f--king whack." Jason and Travis both went on to point out the absurdity of being able to scream in someone's face or make other gestures but only pointing somehow draws the flag.

For now, the league will continue to call taunting in this form, but perhaps more incredulous responses like this one from players and figures around the league could lead to adjustments in the offseason in the way the rule is applied or called.

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