he controversy over Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s overturned touchdown has drawn out for more than a week, with a top NFL official rebuking the team’s head coach over his claims that the league was involved in overturning it.
Goff appeared to have a touchdown reception on a trick play in the team’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, but it was overturned after a long review when it was determined that the Lions quarterback illegally went into motion after being under center.
The game’s top official later told reporters that officials on the field huddled and made the call themselves, though Campbell claimed it was intervention from the league that overturned it. A top NFL official is now correcting Campbell, saying the NFL had nothing to do with it.
Dan Campbell’s Claim Disputed
The Lions unveiled the trick play on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1-yard line, sending Goff out wide and having running back David Montgomery take the snap before throwing to Goff. The Lions quarterback initially bobbled the ball but gained control as he went over the goal line.
Officials huddled and determined that because Goff never got set, it was a penalty for illegal motion. The Lions were pushed back five yards and settled for a field goal.
Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, addressed the play this week in an appearance on Pro Football Talk. He contradicted Campbell’s claim that the call to overturn the touchdown came in from league headquarters in New York, saying the long delay before the call was made is normal for complicated situations.
“It was not (any assistance given from the league office),” Vincent said. “I’m not sure who Coach Campbell was referring to but we did not assist in that. We didn’t have to. I’m part of Gameday Central on every game and just for clarification purposes here, you heard the officials talking immediately as the play was going on, prior to even the touchdown. You see that delay — I see it quite often when you get the intentional grounding, where you see that huddle up and that late flag come in. Why? Because they’re communicating.”
The league’s vice president of replay training and development, Mark Butterworth, also said this week that league officials aren’t even allowed to review illegal motion plays — only help on-field officials when they’re looking for the jersey number of a player involved.
Lions Moving On
The loss to the Chiefs is now two weeks behind the Lions, who responded with a big win over the conference-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers before heading into their bye this week.
After last week’s win, Goff praised his team for responding well to adversity. The Lions have now gone more than three years without losing consecutive games.
“Being a pretty good team and having good resiliency, good adversity-fighting strengths,” Goff said, via SI.com. “We’ve got a really strong group and I don’t think one win ever gets us down and we know we have to respond and did today.”
