NFL exec reveals why refs upheld incorrect call despite 49ers challenge

NFL exec reveals why refs upheld incorrect call despite 49ers challenge originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With the 49ers clinging to a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter of their eventual 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, one controversial call by the officials nearly changed the course of the game.

The 49ers punted on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the ball bounced in front of Seahawks return man Dee Williams.

San Francisco recovered the ball, believing that Williams had touched the ball.

But officials on the field ruled that Williams didn’t touch the ball, prompting 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to challenge the call.

Upon replay review, the call on the field was upheld, but as referee Craig Wrolstad was making his announcement in Lumen Field, the Amazon Prime broadcast showed an angle where it appeared clear that the football touched Williams’ fingers.

In the moment, “Thursday Night Football” rules analyst Terry McAulay was confused as to why the game officials and NFL replay center didn’t have that last camera angle right away.

After the 49ers’ win, ESPN’s Seahawks report Brady Henderson spoke to Wrolstad and NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth for the Pool Report.

Question: First question is about the San Francisco punt on the first play of the fourth quarter. What did the officials see on replay?

Butterworth: “Once we had the San Francisco challenge, we were looking to see if the returner did indeed touch the ball. We went through all available angles, and we get the raw feed from the truck. And there was not clear and obvious video evidence that the returner touched the ball. After looking at all available angles, we made the determination that we were going to stand on the call because there was not clear and obvious video evidence. Once Craig [Wrolstad] made his announcement and they came back from TV, the network had an enhanced shot that they did not send at all until after they played his announcement.”

Question: Okay, and how long after the announcement? Was another play run before?

Butterworth: “No, they came back from TV break with the shot synced in the same box as Craig’s announcement.”

Question: Okay, so was it too late by that point to correct it?

Butterworth: “Correct. Yes, it was too late to change that.”

Question: Okay.

Butterworth: “And, just to be clear, they did not share that angle with us throughout the review process.”

Question: Okay. Did you get an explanation later after the fact on why you didn’t get that angle initially?

Butterworth: “No, but NFL Officiating Rules Analyst Walt Anderson spoke with Terry McAulay, their rules analyst, and Terry then went on air stating they did not send the angle.”

Question: Okay. Understood. Second question relates to the facemask penalty later in the fourth quarter. I believe it was on Seattle’s Leonard Williams. And question is, why that facemask penalty was enforced when it seemed to be a dead ball because of the false start?

Wrolstad: “So we had a false start called by the line judge. And as he was coming in to kill the play – obviously it’s loud in the stadium – so the snap got off and players started playing like the play was live. And in the ensuing action, number 99 grabbed a San Francisco player’s facemask – grabbed and pulled it. And in these situations where we’re trying to shut it down and action accrues, there’s a personal foul that follows that first penalty, we’re required to throw a flag and enforce the penalty. And in this situation it’s called a ‘5-15 penalty.’ And so, the five-yard false start is a simple five and then that’s disregarded and only by rule, only the personal foul 15-yard penalty is enforced.”

Question: Okay, and so that is only with personal foul penalties? Is that correct?

Wrolstad: “That’s correct. Only when a personal foul accrues in ensuing action after a dead-ball foul has happened.”

Question: Okay, so in any other penalty, the play would have still been blown dead? Only the false start would have been enforced?

Wrolstad: “If there had not been a personal foul, then exactly.”

Shanahan was asked by reporters after the game about what the game officials told him about the challenge.

“It was awesome by [vice president of football administration Brian Hampton],” Shanahan said. “He because he said he could tell by how the guy’s hand moved that the ball hit him and then that’s all he saw, but it was, he can 100 percent see the ball. But he said you could tell how the hand moved and with it being Thursday night football, I thought for sure they’d have a bunch of camera angles. So, once he believed that it happened, we threw it thinking we get some better angles and then they just told me that he didn’t.

“And then about two minutes later, two minutes later, I heard all the guys in the box freaking out saying they saw another angle and it wasn’t fumble. So, yeah, they only know what they see. So they didn’t see, I think what everyone else saw on TV.”

Luckily for the 49ers, the call didn’t come back to bite them as the Seahawks punted on that possession and San Francisco ultimately held on for the win.

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