NFL acknowledges Cowboys penalty was charged to Buccaneers in Week 5
Rules analyst Walt Anderson said the league’s officiating office should have intervened after officials penalized Calijah Kancey for an opposing player’s actions.
The NFL has acknowledged that officials penalized the wrong team during a Week 5 game between the Cowboys and Buccaneers. Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey received an illegal hands to the face penalty even though Cowboys guard Tyler Booker had put his hands in Kancey’s face, NFL officiating and rules analyst Walt Anderson said.
Speaking in the league’s weekly officiating video, Anderson attributed the error to a communication mix-up that identified Kancey as the offender. The yardage was then assessed against the Buccaneers. Anderson said the action shown did not support a penalty against Kancey and that any illegal use of hands would have been by the offensive player.
Anderson said the Competition Committee had authorized officiating assistance when objective information could resolve questions such as whether officials had identified the correct player. He said the league’s officiating office should immediately correct such mistakes. The New York office did not intervene to fix this call.
