NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the officials missed at least one call in Thursday’s Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos game. Speaking on Monday, the commissioner hinted at the idea that discipline may be forthcoming.
“That’s why we have a process,” Goodell said, per Mark Maske, The Washington Post. “Obviously hopefully they’re flagged on the field. And then if not, discipline can occur. Jon Runyan is in charge of that aspect of it. So he’s reviewing that and I assume he’ll come out with a decision in the next day or so.”
The fact that this even happened is hard to believe. The NFL has moved towards a safer league, especially when it relates to hits on the quarterbacks and receivers. When the quarterback in question is the league MVP, the sensitivity is normally even stronger.
Yet somehow, repeated shots with Broncos players launching at Newton were missed. The NFL failed miserably in this one.
The least that they can do now is to be sure that the illegal hits are disciplined. If they aren’t, then we’re sure to see these kinds of hits on Newton, and some of the NFL’s other more dominant players moving forward.