Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay aired out some dirty laundry Tuesday, making it known that the NFL admitted to making incorrect calls late in the Week 7 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Irsay also is calling for the league to institute instant replay reviews of all plays during the final two minutes in all games to avoid a similar situation.
“The NFL admits and understands that they did not make the correct calls at end of Sunday’s Colts/Browns Game. I believe we need to institute Instant Replay for all calls, including Penalties, in the last two minutes of All Games.”
URGENT NFL/COLTS NEWS:
🏈 #5 QB Anthony Richardson’s surgery today in LA was a success! It was a long procedure and his shoulder injury has been repaired. No new surprises were found during surgery – they just repaired what was expected. Anthony is doing well and thanks everyone…— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 25, 2023
With the Colts leading 38-33, illegal contact and defensive pass interference were called against Colts cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. on consecutive plays.
Correct or not, the illegal contact call saved the game for the Browns. The Colts recovered a fumble on that third-down play that would have enabled them to run out the clock.
A Darrell Baker Jr. penalty overturned this play from E.J. Speed.
Also, the only reason Indy was in this position was due to Baker getting absolutely cooked in coverage earlier in the drive. #Colts#ForTheShoe#Browns#CLEvsIND pic.twitter.com/36xfqM1WwT
— Chris Shepherd (@NFLscheme) October 23, 2023
However, the penalty gave the Browns a first down and a few more chances to score. On the very next play, the defensive pass interference penalty was called. It was egregious. Everyone watching knew the call was incorrect because the ball was not catchable by any stretch of the imagination.
This is a terrible call on an uncatchable ball. #Colts#ForTheShoe#Browns#CLEvsIND pic.twitter.com/c34LNjyc5k
— Chris Shepherd (@NFLscheme) October 23, 2023
That gave the Browns another first down but this time at the goal line. They eventually scored on a Kareem Hunt touchdown, giving them a 39-38 lead with 0:19 left on the clock.
So the NFL admitted they were wrong, according to Irsay, but there is no action to be taken. It’s essentially a situation where the league admits they messed up and teams have to deal with a loss that should’ve been a win.
Another layer added to this mix is that team officials are prohibited from speaking about the discussions that take place between teams and the league about officiating issues. These discussions take place weekly, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The NFL communicates with teams on a weekly basis about various calls. Team officials are prohibited from commenting publicly on those discussions. Now, a team owner has publicly said the league admitted to officiating mistakes. Stay tuned …
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2023
It’s a tough pill for Colts fans to swallow. Though they have been vindicated in their disgust and outrage over the two blown calls that played a major role in determining the outcome of this game, it doesn’t mean much because nothing changes with the team’s record.
