RK The NFL has officially admitted that FOX directly harmed the Dallas Cowboys — and insiders say this could trigger one of the biggest league changes in years.
When Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy was flagged for roughing kicker against the Philadelphia Eagles, he walked back to the sideline while signaling to his team he had tipped the football. If he had, there would be no grounds for the penalty, which wiped out a Cowboys’ defensive stop and kept the Eagles on the field.
Philadelphia would go on to score a touchdown that drive, leading the Cowboys to trail 14-0. And though Dallas came back to win it in the end, it turns out Flournoy had tipped the football. FOX’s broadcast showed a close-up replay of Flournoy’s fingers hitting the ball. But it was too late.
The Cowboys get the win, and Pickens shows out…
Not only did the refs get it wrong initially, but NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth admitted FOX’s timing in showing the replay directly affected the Cowboys. And after hearing his explanation of the whole thing, it’s clear the league needs to adjust its approach.
NFL didn’t even have access to the close-up shot of Flournoy’s punt block
“We can use replay assist to pick up the flag when we have clear and obvious video evidence that the player that committed the foul touched the ball prior to making contact with the punter,” Butterworth said via a PFWA pool report. “Now, the defense can always challenge that the ball was tipped prior to contact.”
The only thing is, the shot that made it obvious Flournoy touched the ball wasn’t available to the officials.
“Now, what happened was, I think a play or two later, TV showed an enhanced shot, which they can do,” Butterworth said. “We don’t have access to that enhanced shot until they show it. By then, it was too late. If we would have had that shot previously, we would have been able to assist prior to the ball being snapped.”
Butterworth added that had the Cowboys challenged the play, officials would have “probably” gotten the enhanced shot.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, it didn’t matter. They came back from behind in dramatic fashion and won 24-21, but this process should absolutely change. How is it that the officiating and replay assist can’t enhance shots on their own? Replay is so big in today’s game that its reliance on a broadcast network is questionable at best. Imagine this had happened in the fourth quarter of a playoff matchup. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something the league attempts to change in future league meetings.
For now, Flournoy can celebrate the Cowboys’ win knowing he did nothing wrong. Dallas is now 5-5-1 and hoping to be “in the hunt” for a playoff spot.
