NFL Refs Whiff On 'Gun Celebration' Penalty Against Giants' Darius Slayton

NFL referees are now clutching their pearls over the "gun celebration" taunt.

From the college game to the pros, football players are unloading a fake gun to celebrate their respective big-time plays, which is rubbing a ton of people the wrong way.

It's pretty uncouth … but what are you gonna do?

The celebration has been so rampant that refs are now penalizing anything resembling a fake gun with 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties, which is ridiculous.

During Sunday's game between the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks, Giants wideout Darius Slayton pulled off a tremendous 41-yard catch, coming from a deep heave from Daniel Jones, to put the G-Men in enemy territory.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 06: Darius Slayton #86 of the New York Giants scores a third quarter touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 06, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

READ: Bad Luck Strikes Giants Right On Schedule With Humiliating Goal-Line Fumble, Seahawks Return TD

Signaling that he'd picked up the first down, Slayton pointed to the end zone with "finger guns" (a fairly normal move), and the refs flagged him for "taunting."

Soft … there's nothing else to call it.

NFL players have long performed the "first down" celebration with no issues, so clearly the refs thought Slayton was mimicking a gun.

It's not the first time the Giants have been stiffed by a ridiculous call from the officials.

Slayton more than made up for the 15-yard penalty. 

On the following play, Jones hit Slayton for a 30-yard touchdown reception to put the Giants up, 17-10. 

The connection propelled Slayton past 100 yards receiving, marking his first 100-yard performance since facing the Rams in December 2023, and only his sixth career 100-yard game.

During Week 4's matchup against the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger was called for a facemask penalty. A replay of the sequence showed that Bellinger was the player on the receiving end of the facemask grab, making the call by the official a real head-scratcher.

Giants fans were beside themselves over the penalty on Slayton.

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