Even after what was arguably the most controversial taunting penalty of the season against linebacker Cassius Marsh, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy says he's generally in favour of the NFL's crackdown on taunting in 2021.

“People watch, and people want to see a little bit of respect and a little bit of doing things the right way,” Nagy said ahead of Sunday's visit from the Baltimore Ravens. “It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but there’s young kids right now that are watching games, and what happens is you go to one of these sporting events and you might see some imitation going on that’s taking it over the top. I’m a firm believer in respect and just kids growing and watching and we have a huge platform as leaders. Players and coaches. Let’s understand what the rules are, let’s do it the right way. Let’s still have fun — these guys are still having fun and not taunting. You can still have a great time. But let’s stay within the rules as we do it.”

Nagy, in his fourth season at the helm of the Bears, says the impetus is on coaching staffs to ensure their players understand the rule in order to avoid being penalized for breaching it.

During a Nov. 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and with the Bears trailing 23-20 late in the fourth quarter, Marsh sacked Ben Roethlisberger on third down and appeared to have forced the Steelers to punt. But Marsh was hit with a 15-yard taunting penalty after the play for walking towards the Pittsburgh sidelines, giving the Steelers a fresh set of downs. The Steelers would go on to win the game, 29-27, and Marsh would be hit with a $5,927 fine by the league.

“It’s our job to do it the right way,” Nagy said. “You’ve got to understand the rule. I need to do my job to teach that to the players so that they understand it, and understand these are the rules. We can’t change that.”

The Bears currently sit at 3-6 and are in third place in the NFC North. The Carolina Panthers currently hold the final wild-card spot in the NFC at 5-5.