Re: Unusual Penalty Enforcement in Buffalo-Houston Game

"Paige Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> 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?

Technically, no.

But if the NFL works like any other type of football, the first player
to step forward when called is considered to be the captain.


> 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?

In a situation like this, the R should consult his game card, and accept
the first decision from a player with a captain's number.  Such a
decision is irrevocable.


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

I suspect, ... Johnny Grier had to pee like a racehorse.

--  Scott