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Another touchdown reversal has NFL facing more scrutiny - ABC News

posted onDecember 26, 2017
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Article snippet: With yet another touchdown reversal by officiating chief Al Riveron, the only thing that's "clear and obvious" anymore is the owners' decision to grant full replay authority to NFL headquarters has only added to the league's cluster of headaches. To the player protests, president's put-downs, receded ratings and sidelined superstars add the unrelenting second-guessing the league has invited with its frame-by-frame micromanagement of the on-field officiating in 2017. After Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins lost two TDs and Bears tight end Zach Miller another this season, the latest example came Sunday when Kelvin Benjamin's 4-yard TD catch just before halftime against New England was overturned on review. Initially, Benjamin was ruled to have gotten both feet down while in possession of the ball. After looking at replays, officials ruled that he was juggling the ball when his first foot hit the turf. "It was clear and obvious that he did not have control of the ball until he brought it all the way down into his chest," referee Craig Wrolstad said in a pool report after the game. It didn't appear to be so egregious a call as to merit the league's reversal, however, and the decision was met with widespread criticism. Bills coach Sean McDermott, whose team settled for a field goal and a 13-13 halftime tie before fading after halftime, was perplexed by the league's decision. "I am at a loss for how a play like that can get overturned," he said. Former NF... Link to the full article to read more

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