Question about rule - touching a referee

Hawkman80 · Dec 29, 2013

Hello Seahawk fans. I have a question regarding the rulebook. As you probably saw during the game, Langford was penalized for touching an official even though on the instant replay it appears that it wasn't intentional.

I've seen people (including a Seahawk fan, FYI) on nfl.com saying that he shouldn't be penalized because he didn't mean to touch the referee. What does the rulebook say regarding touching an official. Does it matter if it was intentional or not?

Hawkman80 · Dec 29, 2013

I looked it up and this is what I found:

Section 3 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Article 1: Prohibited Acts

There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship. Such acts specifically include, among others:

(g) Unnecessary physical contact with a game official.

Note 1: Under no condition is an official to allow a player to shove, push, or strike him in an offensive, disrespectful, or
unsportsmanlike manner. Any such action must be reported to the Commissioner.

RULE 12, SECTION 2, ARTICLE 14

Source: http://static.nfl.com/static/content/pu ... onduct.pdf

As I see it, him accidentally touching the ref the way he did was "unnecessary." Am I right?

Mitch · Dec 29, 2013

The other official called it. Contact was minor and accidental. Terrible call resulting in an ejection. If that would have happened to a SeaHawk, there would have been a riot!

minormillikin · Dec 29, 2013

One of my favorite after school specials was called, "Touched by a Referee." Makes me weepy just thinking about it.

The Radish · Dec 29, 2013

The guy deserved it big time for all his bitching and moaning. Hitting the cap off was just the cherry on top of the cake.

He was stupid and no one shoud feel sorry for him.

I thought he was going to go after the fans in the tunnel which would have been a big mistake.

:roll:

twisted_steel2 · Dec 29, 2013

A lot of it was timing... the game was getting out of control, two really emotional teams. But the Rams especially were just boiling over. Then the accidental bump of the official. I really think that was a big art of it, right or wrong.

3Girls'HawkDad · Dec 29, 2013

minormillikin":249ohw3e said:
One of my favorite after school specials was called, "Touched by a Referee." Makes me weepy just thinking about it.

Nice work.

entropyrulesall · Dec 29, 2013

I actually feel sorry for the kid. His ass is going to be fined a few paycheck by the league. Even though he lost his cool, it was unfortunate and I would have hated it if it had been a Hawk.

DavidSeven · Dec 29, 2013

If it happened as an isolated incident, the refs probably would have let it go. However, this game was getting out of hand and the Rams players were out of control. Tim Ryan said someone would need to get ejected just moments before it happened. I agreed. Someone needed to go.

VivaEfrenHerrera · Dec 29, 2013

DavidSeven":2knzepig said:
If it happened as an isolated incident, the refs probably would have let it go. However, this game was getting out of hand and the Rams players were out of control. Tim Ryan said someone would need to get ejected just moments before it happened. I agreed. Someone needed to go.

This pretty much sums it up. If they had just thrown a few 15s against the Rams -- who were cheap 'n chippy from the git-go -- in the early going, it never would have come to this. They were at the point where something had to be done.

Highlordb · Dec 29, 2013

agreed....Lambs were out of control, and looking for a fight...if the kid wasn't being so emotional i think that would have slided but there was too much going on and in the heat of the moment he lost a big chunk of his pay....nice to see seattle kept there cool (at least better then the lambs).

AbsolutNET · Dec 29, 2013

I have a feeling the white hat was fed up with the guy and used the contact to make his point. It was obviously accidental, but we also saw it during a slo-mo replay. On the field when the guy won't shut his trap and pops a ref in the head in front of you - bad things will happen.

After I saw the players reaction, I stopped feeling kind of bad for him, though.

Anonymous · Dec 29, 2013

Okay, if you slow motion the whole incident, you see the accidental smack, then Langford says something in front of all the officials standing there, he sorta turns, then the flag gets pulled by the Ref.

If you watch it back full speed a few times, you start to feel like it was more what Langford says than the hit.

morgulon1 · Dec 29, 2013

Mitch":tlmoxdzs said:
The other official called it. Contact was minor and accidental. Terrible call resulting in an ejection. If that would have happened to a SeaHawk, there would have been a riot!

yeah it was undeserved and bs. I felt bad for him

RiverDog · Dec 29, 2013

twisted_steel2":1ntgpfis said:
A lot of it was timing... the game was getting out of control, two really emotional teams. But the Rams especially were just boiling over. Then the accidental bump of the official. I really think that was a big art of it, right or wrong.

Agree.

MissoulaHawkFan · Dec 29, 2013

Agree with everything that was said, but if you keep watching through the duration, you see a ref in front of him place his hand on him, then he proceeds to knock away his hand...so, even though the flag was thrown before that for him accidentally touching the other official, he did indeed touch another one, which would have resulted in him getting tossed anyway.

JerHawk81 · Dec 29, 2013

Props to the 12s for this one. I was worried there would be flying beer bottles as he exited - but nada. Props.

pmedic920 · Dec 29, 2013

I'm with Houston on this. I'm kinda thinking (based on the timing) that he was ejected because of whatever was said, more so than knocking the hat off.
However I'm not even sure if saying something can get a player ejected.

Bigpumpkin · Dec 29, 2013

JerHawk81":kqxpprhn said:
Props to the 12s for this one. I was worried there would be flying beer bottles as he exited - but nada. Props.

However, had he wounded our QB.....he wouldn't have made it out alive!!

Onyx · Dec 29, 2013

Question about rule - touching a referee

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