NFL rule proposals: League advocates to fix rule that hurt Detroit Lions

On Tuesday, ahead of next week’s NFL owners meetings, the league announced several rule proposals that will be on the table. As previously announced, there are only two team-submitted proposals: The Browns want draft picks to be tradable up to five years into the future, and the Steelers want to expand the use of video/phone calls with free agents during the negotiating period.

But the NFL competition committee submitted a total of eight new proposals that will be discussed next week in Arizona, and one of them pertains to a situation the Detroit Lions were involved in last year.

The rule change is listed as follows:

By Competition Committee; to allow League personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.

As you may remember, back in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, receiver DK Metcalf threw a punch at a fan in the Ford Field crowd. The on-field officials did not see the infraction, and it was not penalized. Therefore, the league’s hands were tied in potentially disqualifying Metcalf for the rest of the game. And while the Steelers receiver did not have much of an impact on the game—finishing with just four catches and 42 yards—it certainly didn’t seem right for him to be able to continue playing after an easily ejectionable action. Metcalf received a two-game suspension after the game.

Under this new rule—if it passes—the NFL would have the opportunity to intervene and eject Metcalf if a similar situation were to occur again. Here’s the specific ruling of the rule as it is being proposed:

For actions not called on the field, if designated members of the Officiating department determine prior to the next legal snap or kick that such action is flagrant, they may consult with the on-field officials regarding a potential disqualification of the offending player.

Penalty: Disqualification from the game if actions are found to be flagrant.

The tricky part here is recognizing the action prior to the next legal snap or kick. If something were to happen on the sidelines like Metcalf’s situation, it is often not seen or recognized until a couple minutes after the fact. It would require someone from the league to see this action and immediately act on it. So it’s hard to say whether Metcalf would’ve been ejected under this rule proposal.