The NFL Hits The Mute Button on Touchdown Celebrations to Silence Terrell Owens and Other Narcissists

So, the NFL just passed a new rule banning “prolonged and excessive celebrations” while a player is on the field or in the end zone. If you ask me, it would have been simpler—and more honest - to call it the “Terrell Owens” rule.

You do know who Terrell Owens is, right? The World's Greatest Wide Receiver? If you're not sure, ask him. He'll be happy to grab a loudspeaker, stand in front of you and tell you how incredible he is over and over again until your ears drop off and whisper, “No mas, no mas” before they crumble into powder.

Yeah, I know this new rules also targets loudmouth narcissists like Chad Johnson and Steve Smith. However, when you compare their antics to the bizarro stunts Owens has pulled, those guys will just have to settle for a “Honorary Mention”. Hey, T.O. earned his plaque in the Egomaniacs Hall of Fame as a 49er when he celebrated a touchdown at Texas Stadium by dancing on the team's star logo at midfield. (But I'm sure Owens conveniently forgot how Dallas Cowboy George Teague smashed into him like a runaway truck when he tried to do it a second time. Ouch.)

Anyway, some fans, players and a few ESPN talking heads aren't happy about this. It's another example of the No Fun League turning the flamboyant rebels who make the game exciting to watch into bloodless automatons, they say. What's the big deal? 

In some people’s minds, athletes like Terrell Owens are exuberant, free-thinking, don't-give-a-damn iconoclasts who are passionately exercising their First Amendment rights. Personally, I think they’re big, loud, empty barrels keeping busy by giving the rest of us splitting headaches. George Clinton once said, “The bigger the headache, the bigger the pill.” Now, thanks to T.O. and the other hambone actors in the NFL, I want a Tylenol I need a damned forklift to pick up.