Deshaun Watson showed amazing resiliency after last year’s struggles with the Cleveland Browns by putting on a fantastic performance that was a major factor in the team’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. The victory culminated in a frantic Watson celebration with his teammates.
The team’s second game, in which they suffered their first loss of the year, however, turned into a nightmare for the star quarterback since during the play he was seen engaging in an inappropriate conversation for which he might have been sent off.
Deshaun Watson gets away with shoving official during heated sideline altercation
The Browns succumbed to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-22 in their second game of the year. Though Nick Chubb’s terrible injury during the game brought significant bad luck for Brown’s receiving room, their quarterback room also suffered from an unpleasant scandal.
The altercation began after Watson was called for unnecessary roughness after snatching Kwon Alexander’s facemask, which sparked yelling on the Steelers bench. As soon as things were under control, umpire Barry Anderson intervened to defuse their tense disagreement.
This could have been stopped then, but Deshaun Watson managed to get away with pushing Anderson in the third quarter of Monday’s game.
Later, the Steelers teammates interfered and removed the two of them from the scene to end the altercation.
What is the penalty for striking an official in the NFL?
Because the NFL is strict about upholding order in the game, unwarranted bodily contact with a game official cannot be viewed as an easy one by the authorities.
In all leagues, if a player is seen making deliberate or frightening contact with an official, it results in a 15-yard penalty. Additionally, it frequently leads to exclusions, penalties, and maybe suspensions.
Section 12-3-1-e of the NFL rulebook outlined the consequences of “Unnecessary physical contact with a game official”.
“Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official in an offensive, disrespectful, or unsportsmanlike manner. The player shall be disqualified from the game, and any such action must be reported to the Commissioner.”
Deshaun Watson played the rest of the game without receiving a penalty or being ejected for the incident, but it would be interesting to watch if the NFL fines him for his unwarranted roughness with the official.
