Coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions confirmed to reporters on Monday that his team attempted to mislead the Dallas Cowboys during their controversially called game-winning play in the closing minutes.
In the closing seconds of the game on Saturday, with his team down 20–19, the Lions coach decided to go for a two-point conversion and the victory. It looked as though Detroit had grabbed the lead as quarterback Jared Goff delivered a ball to offensive tackle Taylor Decker (No. 68).
Officials, however, erased the play and said Decker had never registered as eligible, a claim that Decker, Goff, and Campbell all refute. In part because of the call, Dallas managed to win the game.
All sides supporting Detroit insisted that Decker did report as eligible, and multiple TV views seemed to show Decker trying to report when multiple offensive linemen came up to the referee. However, Campbell said that the officials acknowledged offensive tackle Dan Skipper (number 70) who was reporting.
“It concerns eligibility,” Campbell informed the media. That’s the main idea here. Furthermore, it is unrelated to the referee. The referee is aware. He is aware. due to the fact that 68 reported. To ensure that they see three distinct people, it’s for the defense. All you can hope for is that they don’t find out that it’s 70 [and therefore ineligible]. That is all.
The officiating crew is the one that was tricked, if what Campbell claims is accurate. In an attempt to make it unclear who was eligible, Campbell sent multiple offensive linemen in the direction of the referee; however, officials insisted that Decker never reported.
