It didn’t ultimately matter that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained, as he said, “everything pregame to a T” when it came to the play that he would run late in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
It was a play in which offensive lineman Taylor Decker would report in as an eligible receiver and catch a pass from Jared Goff, and it was the play that looked like the game-winning two-point conversion … until Decker was whistled for being an ineligible receiver, with questions swirling about whether he reported in correctly or not. Video shows he did consult with referee Brad Allen beforehand.
Here’s what a mad Campbell said:
“I explained everything pregame to a T.”
Dan Campbell’s postgame comments about the penalty (via the @Lions): pic.twitter.com/9RgqRYfS8r
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 31, 2023
And footage from the sidelines showed him apparently saying, “I TOLD YOU!” to referee Brad Allen:
NEW FOOTAGE: #Lions coach Dan Campbell repeatedly says “I TOLD YOU!” to referee Brad Allen. pic.twitter.com/64Hkro8J8Y
The team thought they did everything right, because they celebrated for a while before seeing the flag.
A COMPLETE JOKE FROM THE REFS.
(Via @WXYZDetroit &…
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 31, 2023
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted this:
This is now the second straight week that an NFL head coach said he warned officials pregame about what they should expect in game:
🏈Packers’ HC Matt LaFleur said he informed officials last week that they would prefer to defer if they won the coin toss, which ultimately saved…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2023