Jake Camarda not getting penalized by refs for swinging helmet at Bills player leaves NFL fans stunned - “How's that not an immediate ejection?”

Punters are not generally in the eye of the storm, but Jake Camarda managed to enter the spotlight in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football. What started as some gentle pushing and shoving turned it something potentially uglier, even if the referees failed to see it that way.

A field goal attempt was followed by a skirmish between opposing teams and Jake Camarda went in initially to break up the fight. However, he got dragged in and had his helmet partially dislodged during the engagement. He then took it off completely and appeared to swing at the opposing player.

The referees initially threw a flag before deciding to let the game run its course. That did not sit well with many NFL fans who felt Camarda was endangering his opponent. Fans wondered why he was not ejected.

One tweeted:

"How's that not an immediate ejection?"

Here are some of the best responses on X, formerly Twitter:

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Other fans come to the defense of Jake Camarda

The referees saw the action in real time and threw a flag, but after discussions and deliberations, they picked up the flag and let the game continue.

Some fans agreed with the referees and believed that there was a mitigating factor. They identified a Bills player pushing up the punter's facemask and causing it to come loose.

According to them, it was seemingly already on the way to getting dislodged and Jake Camarda just took it off himself to avoid an injury, making the swing incidental.

Whichever way one chooses to see it, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be relieved that Camarda was not ejected. They will also hope that he does not invite any further sanctions.

In an up-and-down season for the Buccaneers, he has been one of their most consistent performers, averaging 53 yards per punt, the highest in the league for gross yards.

For the Bucs, the issue has been their offense and defense, both of which are misfiring.

They're in the bottom half of the league for yards gained and yard allowed averages. If the rest of the team plays with the passion and efficiency of the punter, they would be in a much better shape.