After Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey caught an interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over the Ravens and started for the end zone, he appeared to taunt a Steelers player by holding the ball toward him.
He was not flagged. He could be fined.
After the game, Humphrey did his best to avoid making an involuntary contribution to the league’s fine fund.
“I want to make this, like, pretty clear,” Humphrey told reporters. “When I was running with the football I saw [linebacker] David Ojabo, a really great teammate of mine, and I was trying to pitch him the football. So some people brought up to me that it looked like taunting, or something. But I was trying to pitch him the football and there was no taunting there at all. I just want to make that very clear.”
Both can be true. Initially, it appears that he hold the ball out toward Ojabo. Then, he pulls it back before pointing it toward Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III.
So, yes, it appears to be a taunt. He should have been flagged. We’ll find out on Saturday if not sooner whether he was fined.
