Are the Detroit Lions frustrated with two Jameson Williams personal foul penalties? Quite the opposite.
On the Detroit Lions’ first drive of the game, receiver Jameson Williams caught a sideline pass before getting pushed out of bounds (arguably late) by Chicago Bears defender Tyrique Stevenson. The two exchanged looks, Williams spun the ball and returned to the field. But before he could get fully off the sidelines, the refs threw a flag on Williams for taunting.
It’s the second time in as many games that a confrontation between Williams and Stevenson resulted in a 15-yard penalty for Williams. On Thanksgiving, Williams threw the ball at Stevenson after he was tripped up by the Chicago defensive back—who wasn’t even in on the play. Ironically, it was Stevenson who received a fine for the incident a few weeks ago.
After the game, Williams defended his actions to the press—as transcribed by Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers.
“On the first play, I just caught the ball, and I (spun) it,” Williams said. “I didn’t say nothing to him and he didn’t say nothing to me. I just spun the ball. I think the flag came from the overreaction from their sideline. Everybody was like, ‘Oh, oh oh.’ But people spin the ball when they make big catches. You probably watch the game and see the ball get spun 12+ times today. We didn’t say nothing to each other today.”
There is no clear definition in the rulebook for taunting. It’s simply listed as “using baiting or taunting acts or words that may engender ill will between teams.”
The FOX broadcast showed an interaction with Williams and coach Dan Campbell shortly after the incident. After the game, Campbell noted that he was not concerned with Williams’ attitude during the game. In fact, he was impressed with the way Williams put the play behind him.
“He was great. He was,” Campbell said. “He came over and it was like, ‘Look, you just can’t give him a free ride.’ And he knew. So, just get it out of the way, get back on the field, and he was good. That’s what I love about him. He doesn’t get bent out of shape. He just (goes), ‘I got it,’ and he goes back in, and it doesn’t affect the way he plays the rest of the game. It was great, man. I really love where he’s at right now.”
So there you have it. The Lions aren’t worried about it, and that’s fairly understandable considering the very mild nature of Williams’ offense. Certainly, you can’t give the officials a reason to throw a flag, but it’s not like Williams lost his mind or anything like that. And considering Williams went on to finish the game with five catches, 143 yards, and a touchdown, I think the Lions will take that.
