Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett (88) is tackled by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Deji Olatoye (30) in the second quarter during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay Packers tight end Martellus Bennett isn’t a fan of the NFL’s plan to instruct players how to properly celebrate on the field in an upcoming video.
Bennett vented his displeasure in a series of messages on Twitter that were directed at the NFL and Troy Vincent, the executive vice president of football operations.
“An educational training video on celebrations? Spend that money on something else like a video on investments or something that will help the players,” Bennett wrote. “Who gives a (expletive) what guys do when they celebrate. Do something impactful. Y’all wasting guys time with this (expletive). Let the players express their individuality and creativity. Y’all gonna make an educational video on how we should talk next?”
Bennett wasn’t done, saying that the NFL wants players to be robots, not individuals.
“An educational video on appropriate celebrations. Not signing up for that class,” Bennett wrote.
Bennett, who signed a three-year deal with the Packers earlier this month, said that he would not be in attendance when the video will be shown at training camp. The 30-year-old said he would excuse himself to use the restroom instead.
Bennett’s colorful response came on the heels of Vincent’s matter-of-fact reason for the video.
“We’re developing an educational training video for players to show clear examples of appropriate and inappropriate celebrations,” Vincent wrote.
Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked during his State of the NFL speech in Houston during Super Bowl week about the stern reaction to post-score celebrations.
“That’s something we’ll look at,” Goodell said. “But it’s also something that we’ve been dealing with for well over 35 years since I’ve been in the league in the same concept: balancing sportsmanship, avoiding taunting and trying to allow players the ability to express themselves in an exuberant way to celebrate. We think that’s great. We want to see more of that. We want to see the players do that. But we want to see them do it respectfully to their teammates and their opponents.”
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was infamously fined for his twerking celebration Week 1 following a touchdown against the Washington Redskins.
