NFL to review penalties for roughing the passer after controversies with Tom Brady and Derek Carr
According to a report, the NFL will look into roughing-the-passer penalties in the aftermath of controversial calls involving Tom Brady and Derek Carr.
The 5th week of the NFL had two controversial calls for roughing the passer involving Tom Brady and Derek Carr, and according to a report by the Associated Press, the league will discuss the issue at their next meeting in New York City.
The source reportedly told the AP that the NFL will be discussing possible tweaks to the policy in the future, but they are not planning to change the rule this season.
The NFL Competition Committee, made up of six team owners/executives and four head coaches, makes most of the recommendations to amend rules. Teams can also propose changes to regulations, in which case franchise owners must vote, with a minimum of 24 votes needed to approve the policy change.
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The two controversies
The first of the controversial plays came on Sunday afternoon, when Grady Jarrett of the Atlanta Falcons sacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady who ended up on the grass, after which referee Jerome Boger threw the yellow handkerchief.
A similar play took place on Monday: Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs caught Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders and even snatched the ball from him, but the yellow handkerchief once again fell; a call that referee Carl Cheffers defended.
“When he was tackled, my ruling was the defender landed on him with full body weight,” he told ESPN. “The quarterback is protected from being tackled with full body weight.”
These plays come two weeks after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa walked out of the field with a concussion during a Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to the AP source, the league did not specifically order football officials to focus more on roughing-the-passer penalties after the incident.