In a court filing, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the decisions of the on-the-field-referees is final, and the commissioner could not reverse a referee's call even if he wanted to.
The brief was part of the league's response to a lawsuit filed by a pair of New Orleans Saints season ticket holders over the outcome of the NFC Championship Game. The plaintiffs sought to have Goodell act under Rule 17 of the NFL's bylaws to order part or all of the game replayed after the officiating crew missed two penalties on the Rams that would have given the Saints first-and-goal with under two minutes to play, possibly leading to a game-winning field goal for the Saints.
The commissioner admits that both defensive pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact were missed, but he argued that judgment calls by the officials regarding circumstances like pass interference and personal fouls cannot be overturned under league rules.
The filing cites NFL Rule 15, Section 1, Article 3, which states: "The Referee’s decisions upon all matters not specifically placed under the jurisdiction of other officials by rule are final."
The filing argued that rule supersedes Rule 17, which the plaintiffs argued gave the commissioner the power to reverse the call, even after the game ended.
Lawyers for the league said there is no precedent to ordering the replay of even a part of a game in the history of the NFL, dating back nearly a century.
"This has been true despite war, depression, natural disasters, civil disorder, terrorism, or pandemic," the league argued.
