The competition committee from the NFL Commissioner’s office is considering the implementation of rule changes that would allow the game referee to consult with other refs manning an officiating headquarters in New York.
This will be one of the major issues to be presented to the NFL team owners when they have their annual meeting down in Orlando from the 23rd to the 26th of March.
When all is said and done, it’s the owners who make the final decisions in the NFL. They pay Roger Goodell a ton of money to run the league, but it’s the owners themselves who have the real power.
One outcome expected from these meetings will be a crackdown on racial slurs and excessive taunting in general by players on the field. But all and all, the 32 team owners will be considering changes to 13 playing rules, 7 bylaws and 1 resolution that will be presented by the competition committee.
Although the committee will not be recommending a centralized replay system, they will be making an attempt to adapt the current rules already in place to help make replay review quicker and more efficient.
Committee chairman Rich McKay said, “One of the things we’re trying to achieve is consistency and also efficiency. What you’ll have is three-way communication between the replay official that is in the stadium, New York central command and then wireless headset communication to the referee. We’re hoping that will help speed up the process for purposes of the referee looking at the appropriate angle shot.”
In order for the proposed changes to happen, they must be approved by at least 24 of the 32 team owners. St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, who is on the committee, told reporters that the replay proposal “would allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department” in an effort to get the correct call.
Fisher went on to explain that the crackdown of racial slurs will be enforced via the current 15-yard ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ and will be used against taunting and abusive language. A ban on racial slurs of any type was widely discussed but never gained much support by any of the races.
There will be a special emphasis on the infamous “N Word” and players, no matter how they address each other off the field will be penalized 15 yards for its use during a game.
