Here’s KC Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark’s take on trash-talking in today’s NFL
Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark wouldn’t say whether he knew what Chris Jones said to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan last week to draw an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
But Clark, a seven-year NFL veteran, did say that he was surprised to see Jones penalized for that sequence.
“If you remember the play,” Clark recalled, “if you watch me, I was like, looking, and then I turned away and ran off. Then, I turned back around and I’m, like, There’s a flag on the ground?”
The 15-yard penalty that Jones incurred in the fourth quarter extended the Colts’ drive, and it ended up being the game-winning possession in Indianapolis’ 20-17 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.
What Jones said to Ryan is unknown, but the head referee later categorized it as “abusive language.”
Clark knows the NFL is attempting to clean up such interactions between players on the field, with a stated emphasis of cracking down on taunting.
He also indicated that he, too, flirts with being flagged during games.
“I say a lot of crazy stuff out there,” he said. “I’ve got a terrible mouth. The refs, they warn me a lot. This year, they’ve been warning me a lot. They haven’t thrown the flag yet, so I pray to God it doesn’t happen.”
Clark understands there is a line that players can’t cross when it comes to trash-talking an opponent. But he also noted that neither he nor Jones received any sort of warning from last Sunday’s in-game officials before the penalty flag was hurled in his teammate’s direction.
Clark said that if he ever receives a warning from an official for something said during a game, he heeds it.
“You got to understand the line,” Clark said. “You know what league we’re in today. It’s 2022, it’s not 2015 anymore — it’s not the ‘90s. You can’t go running around calling nobody nothing.
“You can’t call them the B-word, the A-word, the S-word, you know what I mean? You can barely say ‘hell’ on the field nowadays without the ref telling you you’re wrong. You’ve just got to go out there and play a solid, fundamental Christian-like game.”
Clark emphasized the need to know the invisible line, so as not to cross it, while protecting the integrity of the team and locker room. He said he understands that rules against trash-talk and taunting are in place in hopes of providing a “nice environment for everybody.”
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce admitted he’s felt the repercussions of crossing that line.
“I’ve always just crossed it,” Kelce said Friday. “So, I’ve learned not to cross it.”
