Bears’ Matt Nagy Supports NFL Taunting Penalties: There’s Young Kids Watching Games

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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said
he’s in favor of the NFL’s controversial decision to emphasize enforcement of taunting penalties during the 2021 season.

Nagy explained he believes there’s a
difference between having fun or showing emotion after a big play and
crossing a line toward showing up the opponent, and it’s important to
send the right message to kids watching the game in that regard, per
Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk:

“People watch, and people want to see
a little bit of respect and a little bit of doing things the right
way. It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but there’s young kids right
now that are watching games, and what happens is you go to one of
these sporting events and you might see some imitation going on
that’s taking it over the top. I’m a firm believer in respect and
just kids growing and watching, and we have a huge platform as
leaders. Players and coaches. Let’s understand what the rules are,
let’s do it the right way. Let’s still have fun—these guys are
still having fun and not taunting. You can still have a great time.
But let’s stay within the rules as we do it.”

The Bears were thrust into the taunting
spotlight after linebacker Cassius Marsh received a 15-year penalty
for his celebration after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger in Week 9.

Marsh did his typical spinning
jump-kick after the sack, but then briefly stared down the Steelers’
sideline. Afterward, there was contact between the Bears defender and
referee Tony Corrente, who was reaching for his flag to call the
penalty.

“On my way to the sideline, I got
hip-checked by the ref. It’s pretty clear,” Marsh told
reporters. “If I was to do that to a ref or even touch a ref, we
get kicked out of the game and possibly suspended and fined. I just
think that that was incredibly inappropriate.”

Marsh, who’s appealed a $5,972 fine for
unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of the taunting call, continued
to question the penalty on social media:

Nagy didn’t reference the linebacker
directly in his comments about the taunting rule, but he took
responsibility for not doing a better job of informing his team about
the enforcement standards, per Smith.

“It’s our job to do it the right
way,” the Bears coach said. “You’ve got to understand the rule. I
need to do my job to teach that to the players so that they
understand it, and understand these are the rules. We can’t change
that.”

Chicago returns from its Week 10 bye on
Sunday when it hosts the Baltimore Ravens at Soldier Field.