Jadeveon Clowney was flagged for a facemask Sunday night after nearly taking the helmet right off Jace Sternberger’s head.
Funny enough, this penalty was controversial despite Sternberger nearly being decapitated on the play. The reason being, Clowney grabbed the back of his helmet — not inside, as it was called on the field.
Check out the play here:
This game has already seen its fair share of officiating mishaps.
There’s no doubt that Clowney’s tackle looked exceptionally awkward, and it’s not surprising that a facemask penalty was called. Still, no matter how many times we watch the video of Clowney ripping Sternberger’s helmet off, we find no evidence a penalty should have been assessed.
But in today’s NFL, this is hardly a surprising development.