'It's Gonna Be a Long Season': NFL Fans Fretting After 'Joke' Penalty Call in Week 1 of Preseason

It didn’t take long for the NFL’s rule against taunting to become the center of ridicule.

In the first quarter of a Week 1 preseason game between the 🏈New York Giants and 🏈New England Patriots on Thursday, Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson broke up a pass intended for New England wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, as chronicled by NBC.

Robinson stood over Wilkerson after the play with his hands out at his sides in what could have been read as his message that the pass was incomplete.

Instead, Robinson was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting).

The Twitterverse reacted strongly to the penalty, with one user saying: “Lol if they’re calling taunting on the incomplete gesture……..it’s gonna be a long season.”

Another Twitter user said the penalty was “such a joke.”