NFL teams are always looking for an edge or a loophole that can help them win. But what happens when a team takes that too far and does something blatantly unfair?
Well, the NFL rulebook has a whole section dedicated to that. Let’s examine what the NFL rulebook says about a “palpably unfair act” and “extraordinarily unfair act” and break down how the league can punish anyone who commits one of these acts.
What Does the NFL Rulebook Say About Palpably Unfair Acts?
The NFL rulebook states that players, substitutes, and non-players “shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair.”
Several examples of palpably unfair acts are provided throughout the rulebook:
- “If an illegal substitute interferes with the play, it may be a palpably unfair act.”
- “Goaltending by a defensive player leaping up to deflect a kick as it passes above the crossbar of a goal post. The referee may award three points for a palpably unfair act.”
What happens if a palpably unfair act is committed?
“Offender may be disqualified,” the rulebook states. “The referee, after consulting the officiating crew, enforces any such distance penalty as they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The referee may award a score.”
In other words, if the ref feels that a team would’ve scored or picked up a huge gain if the act hadn’t occurred, they are allowed to award the team those points or yards.
The rulebook states that the ref may award a touchdown “to a team that has been denied one by a palpably unfair act.”
For example, the ref can award points if the defense is repeatedly fouling to prevent a score. The ref also has the option to extend the period for one untimed down if a palpably unfair act is committed.
While there are no confirmed instances of this being called during a game, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin tripping Baltimore Ravens kick returner Jacoby Jones in 2013 could have been deemed a palpably unfair act.
(2013) No penalty for Mike Tomlin blatantly obstructing Jacoby Jones’ path to the endzone. pic.twitter.com/1qjt5FzuCU
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) June 19, 2020
Tomlin wasn’t flagged during the game, but the league fined him $100,000 and considered removing one of the Steelers’ future draft picks (but ultimately decided against it).
“Any time a player or a coach from the sideline is in this white area, that’s a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct,” NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said at the time. “If they interfere with the play, it could be what’s called a ‘palpably unfair act.'”
But what’s even worse than a palpably unfair act? An extraordinarily unfair act.
What Does the NFL Rulebook Say About Extraordinarily Unfair Acts?
Here’s what the NFL rulebook says about extraordinarily unfair acts: “The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game,” the rulebook states.
Only the Commissioner has the power to make the call “to review an act or occurrence that the Commissioner deems so extraordinary or unfair that the result of the game in question would be inequitable to one of the participating teams.”
If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell determines that a team committed an extraordinarily unfair act, he has the power to fine the team or individual, remove draft picks, suspend the individuals involved, and even reverse the result of the game or reschedule the game “either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred.”
No commissioner has ever done this, but it’s interesting that it’s an option.
The fact that Tomlin’s trip resulted in a fine and the league considered removing one of Pittsburgh’s future draft picks suggests that the NFL may have viewed Tomlin’s trip as an extraordinarily unfair act rather than just a palpably unfair act. However, the NFL’s press release announcing Tomlin’s fine didn’t label it one way or the other.
In fact, there has never been a confirmed instance of a commissioner using the “extraordinarily unfair act” language.
However, when the league punished the New England Patriots for spying on the New York Jets’ signals during Spygate, Goodell described it as “a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field.” Head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000, the Patriots were fined $250,000, and New England lost its first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Similarly, after Deflategate, the Patriots were fined $1 million, had to forfeit their 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-round pick, quarterback Tom Brady was suspended four games without pay, and the team’s two equipment staffers were suspended indefinitely.
Given these penalties and how they line up with the punishment options described above, it’s possible Goodell viewed these as extraordinarily unfair acts.
Ultimately, this language is included in the rulebook so that referees and the league office can discipline anyone who commits an unfair act that isn’t specifically spelled out in the rules.