PALM BEACH, Fla. — Replay assist in the NFL is getting expanded. At the league’s annual meeting, NFL owners approved the Competition Committee’s proposal to expand Instant Replay’s ability to help on-field officials fix mistakes when there is “clear and obvious” evidence, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Specifically, the league is amending Rule 15 and will “expand Instant Replay’s ability to advise the on-field officials on specific, objective aspects of a play and/or to address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present.”
Under this expanded purview, a flag can now be picked up for defenseless player, face mask, horse collar, tripping and rough/running into the kicker penalties, so long as “clear and obvious video evidence” is available. However, replay will not be used to retroactively enforce a penalty, with NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent calling that a “non-starter” in a briefing with reporters last week.
“We know there’s going to be mistakes,” Vincent said. “There are going to be human errors. Let’s try to fix some of those things that we can fix. But to put a flag on the field was a non-starter.”
Back in 2021, the NFL expanded its replay rule to allow replay officials and designated members of the officiating department to assist on-field officials in specific game situations. For example, the prior expansion allowed for corrective rulings on the spot of the ball or a foul, complete or incomplete pass and touching of the ball or a line. Last season, the Competition Committee expanded replay again to include “clear and obvious” input on penalties like roughing the passer, late hits out of bounds and intentional grounding.
One of the key drivers for the Competition Committee to put this latest proposal forward was due to the rise of legalized sports betting. Vincent told reporters that there is an increased “burden” to not only get calls on the field correct but to do so with transparency due, in part, to gambling.
“We talk about allowing the game to be played on the field,” Vincent said. “And a phantom foul, a flag is thrown. Just imagine you, yourself, just thinking about, ‘Where did that come from?’ And it just creates all kinds of speculation.”
So, this effort to expand replay assist should have the side benefit of providing more transparency to fans, while also primarily getting calls correct on the field.
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