NFL Set To Penalize Use Of Racial Slur

Players that use the N-word could be given a 15-yard penalty

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NFL players may be handed 15-yard penalties for using racial slurs on the field, under a rule set to be enacted by the league.

John Wooten, former NFL offensive lineman and chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors diversity in the NFL,  said he expects the league’s competition committee to enact the rule, reports ESPN. The rule would make it an automatic 15-yard penalty if a player uses the N-word on the field, and a second infraction could result in an ejection.

“I will be totally shocked if the competition committee does not uphold us on what we’re trying to do,” Wooten said. “We want this word to be policed from the parking lot to the equipment room to the locker room. Secretaries, PR people, whoever, we want it eliminated completely and want it policed everywhere.”

Baltimore Ravens general manager and committee member Ozzie Newsome said the NFL’s competition committee will be discussing the rule next week at a meeting in Naples, Fla., and Wooten believes that the NFL will officially agree to the rule next month before presenting it to owners.

[ESPN]