NFL owners OK replacement ref contingency plan

PHOENIX -- NFL owners approved an extensive contingency plan Tuesday to centralize officiating in the event of a work stoppage as negotiations continue on a collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association.

The series of changes will not apply if the NFLRA officials are under contract when games begin.

According to verbiage of the rule, league staff members in the league's officiating command center in New York City could alert a replacement referee if they see clear and obvious evidence of an uncalled foul for roughing the passer, intentional grounding or an act that would normally lead to disqualification.

Those staff members would also be permitted to alert replacement referees that a flag shouldn't have been thrown if there is clear and obvious video evidence that "at least one element of the foul called is not present," according to the verbiage.

Fouls eligible for this alert include: twisting, pulling or turning the face mask; roughing the passer; intentional grounding; horse collar tackles; illegal contact; pass interference; and disqualification.

In 2019, the NFL conducted a one-year experiment that subjected pass interference to replay review. The effort bogged down amid a muddled standard for overturning an on-field decision. In Tuesday's proposal, the competition committee limited league staff members' involvement to only circumstances where "there was inadvertent tangling of feet when both players were playing the ball or neither player was playing the ball."

In addition, after the two-minute warning or in overtime, the list of called or uncalled penalties that league staff members could provide referees with would expand to include unsportsmanlike conduct based on punching or kicking at an opponent. During kicks, league staff members could also consult on the leverage and leaping rules.

Finally, throughout a game, league staff members could assist on discerning whether a foul should be classified as roughing or running into the kicker.

In other changes, owners approved:

• An amended version of another officiating proposal, which will apply whether or not there is an agreement with the NFLRA. It would allow league personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.

• A rule that eliminates a team's incentive to kick the ball out of bounds on kickoffs from the 50-yard line.

• Allowing teams to declare an onside kick at any point in a game.

• A modification of alignment requirements on the kickoff for members of the receiving team in the setup zone.

• Approved an expansion of its mental health coverage to require each team to employ a full-time clinician or offer full-time coverage. Eight of the 32 teams already are in compliance. It is subject to approval by the NFL Players Association since it's part of the collective bargaining agreement. The policy will also provide more support for players on injured reserve.