Sports

Report: NFL Admits Mistake On Unsportsmanlike Huddle Penalty On Brice Butler

January 19, 2017 / 12:09 PM CST / CBS Texas

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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The NFL has admitted that the Cowboys should not have been penalized for a 15-yard penalty in the Divisional Round loss to the Packers last Sunday.

According to Michael Lombardi, The NFL says the Unsportsmanlike penalty called on Cowboys' receiver Brice Butler shouldn't have been called.

The too many men in the huddle call on Dallas for 15 yards was a mistake, the league admitted this to teams...sorry....
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 19, 2017

Lombardi says he spoke with two teams that called the NFL office for clarification on the penalty, and the league said Dallas was not being deceptive and the call shouldn't have been made.

Spoke w/ 2 teams that talked to the NFL office about the huddle call and both said it was a mistake. No deception on the part of D, no call
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 19, 2017

Other teams saw the call, called the league office for clarification and NFL said Dallas was not being deceptive,no call was the right call
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 19, 2017

After Lombardi's tweet, the NFL's VP of officiating Dean Blandino tweeted that the call was correct.

I have not spoken to any club about this call. Longstanding rule that was last called in 2014 Week 8 WAS at DAL against WAS #82. https://t.co/0W9r6js0mq
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) January 19, 2017

However, Lombardi fired back and is standing by his report.

NFL can say anything they want but my sources are solid and I know what was told to them.I'm not starting a rumor just stating what was said
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 19, 2017

In the first quarter with Green Bay ahead 7-3, the Cowboys had the ball 2nd and 5 on the Packers' 37 yard-line. Dak Prescott completed a 22-yard pass to receiver Terrence Williams, however, officials called a penalty on Brice Butler for coming in the huddle and not participating in the play.

The play would have given the Cowboys a first down on the the Packers' 16-yard line. Instead, Dallas had the ball 2nd and 20 on their own 48-yard line and were forced to punt after Prescott incompleted the next two throws in Butler's direction.

Head coach Jason Garrett said after the game that he'd never seen the call made before.

"[We] couldn't beat the stripes. You can quote me on that," Butler told the Dallas Morning News.

Referee Tony Corrente told a pool reporter after the game that it isn't "an obscure rule" and that Butler "has to stay either in the game or they can call a timeout and get out of it."