VIDEO: Refs Penalizing Keanu Neal for Throwing Helmet After Suffering Serious Injury is Ridiculous
By Chris Pyo
Even when NFL referees get a call technically right on a play, they still figure out a way to mess everything up. And in this case, they were able to make themselves look like complete idiots. Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal suffered what is presumed to be a season-ending achilles injury for the second time in his young career in the Falcons' game against the Indianapolis Colts, and knew it the moment it happened. In an outcry of pain, he chucked his helmet...and earned his team a penalty, because the refs had their faces so far buried in "the book".
Yes, please penalize Neal for unsportsmanlike conduct and get the Colts even closer to the end zone. That is a totally great use of context clues here.
Neal was having a natural human moment of frustration, and the referees failed to recognize this and quickly tossed a flag. They could've easily waved the flag off after noticing the severity of Neal's injury, but they didn't have it in their icy hearts to do so.
Unfortunately, it looks like déjà vu for Neal, as he suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 last year and was out for the rest of the season. Here's to his upcoming recovery, as reports state that he should be good to go for the 2020 NFL season.
But the referees? Absolutely pathetic and ridiculous, yet again.