An NFL coach outlined a scenario after the league officially passed a rule Wednesday that two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on a player will now lead to ejection. He called it "the goon scenario."
Early in a game, a star player gets a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. Say it's the Bengals' Vontaze Burfict. One more unsportsmanlike and he's done. So the opposing team, sensing a chance to get a good player kicked out of the game, sends in a backup player to act as an agitator. Or has a starter with no unsportsmanlike penalties do it.