Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct at a key moment in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, and many fans were irate over the penalty.
The Bucs were trailing 19-13 and had the ball near midfield in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. McMillan caught a 33-yard pass from Baker Mayfield on 4th-and-8 to move the chains, but 15 of those yards were taken away because of the way McMillan celebrated.
McMillan pointed his hands in a manner that indicated he had picked up a first down. Unfortunately, as we have seen several other times this season, the officiating crew determined that the rookie made a “violent gesture.”
McMillan flagged for “violent gesture” on the first down, yet they literally “Fired the Cannons” on the same play.
NFL is soft pic.twitter.com/MB6fs6LeIo
— Ryza Rice (@MessiahRice) January 5, 2025
McMillan could be seen pleading with an official and showing that he held his fingers in a manner that were not supposed to depict a weapon. His argument fell on deaf ears.
Fortunately, the call did not impact the game. McMillan made an outstanding touchdown catch two plays later to give Tampa Bay the lead:
BAKER TO MCMILLAN. BUCS TAKE THE LEAD.
: #NOvsTB on FOX
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/VLIEM2utAg— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
Most fans disagree with it, but the NFL has been fairly consistent this season when it comes to the supposed gun gesture. At some point, players are just going to have to stop making the first down motion to avoid any confusion.
