On the overtime coin flip during the Cardinals win over the Packers Saturday, the coin didn't actually flip. The ref immediately said the toss was not valid and flipped it again. Arizona won both times, so there wasn't much of an issue. Still, there was some confusion and people wondered whether or not the coin actually should have been re-flipped. Sunday, the NFL made a statement.Via ESPN.com:
"There is nothing in the rulebook that specifies [a required flip]," NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement. "But the referee used his judgment to determine that basic fairness dictated that the coin should flip for the toss to be valid. That is why he retossed the coin."
If you ask me the NFL should go with this "basic fairness" line a lot more often. Was it a catch? Was it a fumble? Is it pass interference? Was the quarterback's arm going forward? There are too many rules that are open to interpretation, and nobody ever knows what the call is going to be after the replay review. Rather than come up with a technical explanation every time that people don't buy anyway, why not just admit it's a judgement call?
"Yeah, it was a catch, because it looked like a catch and, you know, basic fairness."
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