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On several occasions during the 2024 regular season, field officials missed glaring face mask errors. Last month, Walt Anderson, an NFL rules analyst, explained that the referee and the referee Such irregularities are often missedbecause they are positioned behind the play.
Anderson also said that replay assistance will likely expand by 2025 to include such obvious errors.
On Monday night, it looked like the university office got off to a good start.
In the fourth quarter of the Vikings-Rams game, Minnesota’s Blake Cashman seized his mask from Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams. No flag was thrown.
Referee John Hussey then consulted with referee Terry Killens Jr. After their meeting, Hussey announced the penalty kick.
In the broadcast, Joe Buck said, “We never saw a flag.”
“No, and I don’t know where that came from,” ESPN rules analyst Russell York said. “They definitely talked about it afterward, and I don’t know where that came from.”
Buck was asked: “Am I wrong in saying they can’t throw the flag into the ground from New York?”
“Yes, I don’t think he came from New York,” York said, without answering the question directly. “I saw the flag coming in late. So I think they talked about it on the field. I don’t think they would have brought this up from New York.”
York could have stated matters more forcefully, perhaps if he had not been concerned that the rule against re-reviewing face mask errors might be ignored.
The procedure is clear. Neither the replay assistant nor the league office may chime in on an instruction to drop the flag for a missing face mask. But rules can go out the window in a situation like this, as getting things wrong trumps getting things wrong the right way.
The league’s previous failures to make face mask fouls subject to replay review were a huge mistake. Ensuring that face mask wearing mistakes on the field are fixed after they happen will prevent a storm of scrutiny and controversy. Since no one knows when and how Replay Assist is or is not activated, all anyone can do is speculate, driven by broadcasters’ feedback.
This is the biggest problem. There is still no transparency when it comes to restarting help or restarting review. In contrast, the UFL has perfected the process of allowing viewers to watch debates that lead to rulings on the field being overturned or upheld.
Again, if the league inevitably pulls it off, we can support that. The most troubling concern is what might be hiding behind the curtain when it comes to the top-secret rollout of reboots?
