Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was hit with another taunting penalty for a sideline incident involving Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
On the Lions’ first pass of the game, Jared Goff hit Williams for 5 yards to pick up a first down on an out-route. Williams made the catch after getting separation from Stevenson on the outside and was on his way out of bounds. Stevenson gave him a shove right before he went out, causing Williams to tumble into the Bears sideline.
Williams got up and as he was returning to the field, stopped and spun the ball on the Bears sidelines right in front of two officials, which drew a taunting penalty. The Lions overcame the penalty with a 17-yard completion to Sam LaPorta on the next set of downs, eventually leading to a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal on Detroit’s first possession.
After the penalty, head coach Dan Campbell appeared to give Williams a stern talk on the side, which was picked up by Fox’s cameras, and shook him while talking to him.
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Williams is up to two taunting penalties on his last two catches against the Bears. In Detroit’s Thanksgiving win over Chicago, Williams picked up a costly taunting penalty in the fourth quarter for another sideline incident with Stevenson.
He made a catch along the sidelines as the Lions were trying to deliver the dagger, and as he was coming back on the field, threw the ball at Stevenson’s face to draw a flag and kill the drive. Stevenson appeared to trip Williams, but the referees only flagged the retaliation.
Williams apologized in front of the team after the game. This week, he declined to comment on the incident with Stevenson again, instead saying he’s looking forward to getting back in the win column after losing to the Buffalo Bills.
The coaches did not punish Williams for the flag this time, and have put him back in the lineup. He had another catch for 17 yards on Detroit’s third possession, and got the ultimate revenge a few possessions later when he got behind the defense and caught a dime of a pass from Goff in stride for an 82-yard touchdown.
