The Dallas Cowboys drew a 15-yard celebration penalty after Roy Williams’ touchdown gave them a 7-0 lead on Sunday against the Vikings. But the Cowboy who drew the flag wasn’t the Cowboy who was identified by the referee as committing the penalty.
Miles Austin, who did a leap-frog jump over Williams after the score, was the one identified by jersey number when the referee announced the penalty. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, however, says V.P. of officiating Carl Johnson told him today that the penalty was actually called on Sam Hurd for flashing the “Hook ‘em ‘Horns” sign.
“I thought it was on Miles because the official on the sideline told me that when I asked him,” Phillips said. “And Carl Johnson said specifically that was not the call and he would have been upset if they had called it.”
It’s not clear why the referee said the penalty was on Austin when it was really on Hurd, but Phillips said he’s told the whole team to simply put the ball down or give it to an official after scoring a touchdown.
It only took two celebration penalties for the Cowboys to hear that message.
