Celebrations 2

Last week I wrote about a player diving into the EZ and not getting a flag for USC. While each case will be taken on its merits and how opponent players perceive the action a line will be drawn about what is appropriate or not by the officials.
Celebrations are a team effort and individuals should not be bringing attention solely to themselves. I have seen players follow up a play that scores by running after them to celebrate, sometimes up to 30 or 40 yards.
When you score a touchdown you need to be respectful to your opponent. Jumping onto a fence brings undue attention and is not respectful to your opponents. It is also celebration that is excessive, unduly delays a game and running away from an official who may require the ball for the next play.
The play that scored a TD on the weekend exceeded the ruling and went beyond the more 'liberal' interpretations that GASA has allowed for this year.
I quote from the blog, http://sagridironofficials.blogspot.com/2007/09/sportsmanship.html that "..... acts that are genuine celebration within a team environment would be acceptable but those that brought attention on an individual may at times be unacceptable."
It was unfortunate that when this occurred the player concerned had accumulated his second USC penalty and was ejected from the game. Please ensure this doesn't happen to one of your team mates in future and get over and celebrate as a team. Ensure that as you celebrate that you have respect for your opponents.
The line has been drawn in the sand of what is acceptable and unacceptable and we hope that you keep in mind the need for respect of others and the positive image of the game as a whole.
The incident for another USC penalty on the same team came about because of further challenging an official's call. What brought me to continue this part of the blog was that "we were told that ......" was said to the Referee. Again it probably highlights the need for people to be checking the blog a few times a week and going back over the previous messages. The information you are looking for is probably hidden away somewhere. In this case the information is dated back to September 16th 2007.
Again while some people plead not knowing about our interpretations I would say that SAGOA handles itself well in communicating to clubs and the gridiron community using this blog site. Well done to the club that has a link to this very site to keep abreast of situations and interpretations. Again if you have any queries please feel free to comment and discuss what is written so that we can have a better and stronger league for the future.

Grant Martin