In the era of fake news, there truly was some to be found in the Buffalo Bills’ last game.
Against the Miami Dolphins (8-6), the Bills (11-3) won 32-29. In the middle of the matchup, we all saw… or heard, a first in the NFL.
The referees went on the PA system and announced to fans at Highmark Stadium that throwing snowballs could result in a 15-yard penalty against the home team. Reportedly, that was all made up, according to ESPN’s officiating analyst John Parry.
“There is no rule that addresses penalties being assessed to a team based on their fans’ actions,” Parry said via the Buffalo News.
The report continues and says the only option on the table was to stop the game, which happened. Then the refs, with the assistance of stadium security, could try to quell the situation in some manner. However, there was nothing out there to penalize the Bills as… threatened.
Essentially, the NFL was truly the “no fun league” in the moment. Big surprise.
Although, there likely were actual safety concerns all things considered. It makes sense to want it to stop.
Moving forward, one now can wonder something for the second-straight offseason: Will Buffalo cause a rule change?
In 2021, the Bills’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason spurred the league to change the playoff overtime rules.
Is a… snowball rule en route? Stay tuned.
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