Dan Campbell on the celebrations: Have fun, but it won’t cost us 15 yards

On Saturday, the NFL announced that it had fined Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams for an obscene gesture while celebrating a touchdown. On Sunday, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs received a 15-yard taunting penalty while celebrating a touchdown.

Lions coach Dan Campbell says he’s OK with players celebrating, but not with players doing something that results in a penalty.

“I tell our guys, ‘Hey, as long as you don’t cost us 15,'” Campbell said. “I’m good at everything they do. So you have fun with it, you’re creative and you like to push the boundaries of whatever that is. I know our guys are having fun and I think that’s important. They’re having fun, so it’s all good.”

When asked if the NFL tolerates more celebrations than it used to, Campbell noted that the league sometimes imposes fines or penalties on players, and sometimes the league uses celebrations as part of its content.

“Well, that depends on what it is, if the league allows it, right?” Campbell said. “They will use whatever they need for the content.”

The good news for the Lions is that they had plenty of reasons to celebrate this season. As long as that’s the case, Campbell will be happy – although he said during his own playing career there were no set celebrations: “A peak was the only thing I achieved.”