NFL admits flag should have been thrown on Kevin Huber hit vs. Steelers
By Josh Hill
The NFL has admitted to yet another officiating mistake this season and this latest mistake is perhaps the most painful for a number of reasons. When Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber was blasted by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin, a hit that broke the punters jaw, the play wasn’t flagged and the Steelers were actually rewarded with a touchdown that changed the game.
Today, the NFL has admitted that this is something that should have been flagged and admitted to the mistake in a statement by NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino.
“Huber, he’s a punter. And the key is he’s defenseless throughout the down,” Blandino said via NFL Network. “So even though he’s pursing the play, he still gets defenseless-player protection. You can’t hit him in the head or neck, and you can’t use the crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body.”
The mistake made is not only painful for the Bengals, who lost the game that ended up seeing that touchdown as very valuable to the outcome, but it was painful to the NFL’s image as player protectors as well. The NFL has puffed its chest up on numerous occasions to be blowhards about player safety, but when a play like this occurs, no flag is thrown despite it being everything that defines the hit to the head of a defenseless player rule.
Obviously this is most painful for Huber, but the league is hurting just as bad in a different way and they need to act quickly to correct things. This is yet another example of a non-flagged play needing to result in compensation for the team it hurt especially when it results in a player breaking his jaw and ending his season prematurely.