Although the league seems to be getting away from the business of publicly admitting officiating errors, the NFL still provides private apologies when warranted. But the NFL privately disputes a new report regarding an officiating error that the league supposedly acknowledged.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the league did not informally apologize to the Jets for the holding penalty called on cornerback Morris Claiborne while covering Browns receiver Antonio Callaway in the second half of Thursday’s game. The foul, coupled with a penalty on the Browns, gave Cleveland a second chance to tie the game at 14, after the first attempt resulted in a sack of quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported that the league privately apologized for the holding penalty. The video of the play shows Claiborne clearly grabbing and pulling Callaway’s jersey. The league office, per the source, regards the hold as “obvious.”