Bengals’ Owner Mike Brown Explains “No” Vote On Revised Replay [VIDEO]

This week, owners from the NFL sat down to vote on whether or not revised instant replay rules should be changed and called by coaches. The instant replay will allow coaches to better judge the challenges and gives a fair review of the play in question. Many fans were calling for this change after a very controversial call during this past postseason.

Mike Brown On NFL Replay Rule

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown was the only owner who voted against the decision.

“Well, I’ve been in that position before,” Brown told a small group of local reporters Wednesday. “I just vote with my conscience and how I see it. I’m not trying to be offensive. I understand if someone else doesn’t want to go my way.”

This following Tuesday, the owners voted 31-1 to allow offensive and defensive pass interference to be subject to a coach’s challenge, even if the flag was not originally thrown on the play. A booth review can be initiated on such plays in the final two minutes of each half.

Brown has a history of being against late-game replays, with him and his late father Paul Brown, having been against major call changes since they were first introduced in the league in the 1970s.

Sean Payton was interviewed and said the meeting was concluded on a 3 -1 vote on making plays reviewable. He also explained what took the meeting so long in his regular joking way. Roger Goodell also spoke about potential pass interference rule changes earlier this year.

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“The reason that we are against it is that it interrupts the game. It changes the character of the game, in my mind,” Payton said. “I think it’s in some ways sort of odd to see people all sitting there waiting for somebody in New York to tell them it is or it isn’t. I’d rather just play the game.”

Many fans and players of the league have echoed similar statements in the past and emphasized how they feel it ruins the moment of the game. But as many have said throughout the years, the most important thing is getting the call right.

“When they put it in, they were smart enough to restrict it more than it is today,” he said. “And it was supposed to be used only when the play had a big impact on the game. Otherwise, you weren’t supposed to use it. Well, it evolved over time, and now they use it in all kinds of situations. I don’t think that’s good for the game. It is the fact that there’s going to be officiating error, but it’s also the fact that instant replay doesn’t always correct it. It actually compounds the problem on occasion.”

In the past, only plays that directly impacted the ending of the game were reviewable but over time, the NFL has made multiple modifications to the rule to adjust to how the game plays today.