The NFL offseason is currently in full swing, and as teams around the league prepare for the upcoming free agency period and draft, the league front office is also mulling changes to the rulebook heading into next year. The league has implemented various changes to the way the game is played in recent seasons, including changing replay review rules, as well as the way that kickoffs are lined up.
Now, more information is coming to light on a proposed rule that would allow penalties to be retroactively called by the replay assist center in the event that the on-field officials miss the call, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
“NFL owners might face a vote for replay officials to throw flags for specific penalties — a big change from the league’s officiating philosophy. One starting point, EVP Troy Vincent said today, could be for non-football acts such as punches that on-field officials might miss,” reported Siefert.
The replay review process has been a subject of immense debate in recent seasons. The NFL has allowed, in some cases, for the replay center to step in without a challenge from a coach in order to correct calls on the field, but these are limited to things like where the ball should be spotted after a play, or whether or not a player made a catch.
The idea of letting the replay officials retroactively make a call that they felt should have been made on the field is certainly a novel idea, and would take some getting used to for players and coaches alike.
The league hasn’t had any crises with punches being thrown in a situation where things got too out of hand recently, but the new proposed rule could certainly make players think twice about letting their emotions get the best of them, knowing it will likely be spotted by one party or another.
The post NFL owners may vote on ‘punching’ penalty if refs miss it appeared first on ClutchPoints.
