Unusual Penalty Enforcement in Buffalo-Houston Game

Buffalo trails 12-8 with 0:59 left. Houston has 3rd and four. Bills out 
of timeouts.

Houston running back Davis runs for 3 yards, but there's a holding 
penalty against Houston. You would expect Buffalo to decline the 
penalty, resulting in 4th and about 1, Houston punts, and Buffalo gets 
the ball back. That's what you would expect.

Referee Johnny Grier announces that Buffalo accepts the penalty and his 
umpire moves the ball back 10 yeards, despite, on camera, visually, and 
through Grier's own microphone, verbally, Buffalo defensive captain 
London Fletcher is clearly declining the penalty. Clearly and 
vociferously. (After that, with another third down play, the clocks runs 
down to 0:03 before fourth down snap, and then Houston, instead of 
punting, runs out the clock. Had Buffalo declined, Houston punts with 
about 0:52 on the clock...)

A later radio broadcast attributes this information to Buffalo Coach 
Gregg Williams, whom we know is somewhat unreliable in his ability to 
communicate clearly on matters of rules and refereeing. Nevertheless, 
let's for the moment accept Williams' statement as factual. Williams 
says Grier told him that another Buffalo player had accepted the 
penalty. No identification of this player was made, according to the 
radio announcer repeating what Williams had said.

Can a player other than the captain accept a penalty?

If one player (not the defensive captain) accepts the penalty, and then 
if subsequently the defensive captain declines the penalty, what SHOULD 
the ref do?

Or do you suspect, as I do, that the story missing some information 
somewhere?

--
Paige Miller
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.rochester.rr.com/djpaige/blogger.html

It's nothing until I call it -- Bill Klem, NL Umpire
If you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
  I hope you dance -- Lee Ann Womack