Penalties From Lions vs. Packers Become Focus of NFL’s League Meetings

With the latest controversy surrounding NFL officiating, fans, players, and media members alike are calling for the league to assess some of the biggest “blown calls” from the past six weeks of action. Specifically, there are many that want this Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions game to be under scrutiny. Well, the perfect opportunity has arrived with the league meetings taking place Tuesday and Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tuesday afternoon, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that the league meetings will be taking a different turn following the events of Monday night’s game. The Competition Committee – the entity in charge of league rules – expected to evaluate the pass interference rule changes, but they will instead be putting extra focus on the most recent controversy.

“This is now going to become a big topic of these meetings,” Rapoport said on Tuesday. “Officiating, originally, the thought was that it would be all about the pass interference – offensive and defensive – and the use of replay.”

As Rapoport explained, the conversation has now completely changed after Monday night’s game based on four separate penalties that were called against the Detroit Lions and are under dispute. The expectation that the “hands to the face” penalty, as well as others, will be discussed during these meetings. Although it is currently unclear as to if Al Riveron, the head of officiating, will be speaking to reporters.

What will add a level of intrigue to these meetings is that the Competition Committee is made up of two owners, two club presidents, two general managers, and three head coaches. One of the prominent figures in this group is Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy. His team’s victory on Monday night was partially attributed to the penalties that are being disputed by the Lions. How will he respond?

Multiple times each calendar year, the NFL holds league meetings in different locations throughout the country. These provide opportunities to discuss various rule changes that are either on the table for discussion or have been implemented in recent years.

For example, the ability to challenge pass interference penalties or non-calls was made possible through New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and the Competition Committee. This rule was discussed at league meetings earlier in the year, which has affected the way coaches challenge certain plays each week.

Will the Lions and Packers game from Monday have an effect on the future of officiating and the way replay is used? It’s possible, but the answer won’t be made clear until the Competition Committee meets and has in-depth discussions.

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