This story appears in the Oct. 24–31, 2016 issue of Sports Illustrated. Since then, there has been one additional known case of a player getting penalized for using the n-word: Jaguars WR Marquis Lee said he was flagged for directing the word at his opponent in Jacksonville’s 33–16 Week 7 loss to the Raiders. Subscribe to the magazine here.
While merciless taunting and sexually suggestive celebrations have become embarrassments to the NFL this year, the league has for the last two seasons been emphasizing a different type of inappropriate behavior that can result in a 15-yard penalty.