After Sunday’s highly-debated decision to nullify Jared Goff’s first-quarter touchdown versus the Kansas City Chiefs, head coach Dan Campbell openly stated he was informed that “New York got involved” in making the call.
That should’ve closed the matter. Instead, according to veteran Lions reporter Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the league is now standing firm on its denial, insisting New York played no part in it.
“Reached out to NFL for comment on Dan Campbell’s comments on that he was told NY got was involved w/decision to overturn Goff’s TD,” Birkett shared. “The league has nothing to add to ref Craig Wrolstad’s pool report that officials had no help from NY, crew decided on field.”
So now we have Dan Campbell saying one thing, the NFL saying another, and the league refusing to clear up a situation frustrating both Detroit fans and players alike.
The play at the center: Goff’s clever trick-play touchdown, where he approached the line, paused, and went in motion before snagging a scoring pass from David Montgomery, was wiped out for illegal motion.
Referee Craig Wrolstad later admitted his crew took nearly 90 seconds to confirm the call, claiming they were “piecing together” whether Goff had stopped long enough before motioning.
Here’s the issue: that’s not standard officiating procedure. Penalties on the field are immediate. You either see the infraction or you don’t. A minute and a half later, the call appeared—conveniently after what Campbell said was communication that “came from New York.”
Now the league swears the league office wasn’t involved. If so, why did it take nearly two minutes to decide? Why did Campbell specifically say an official told him otherwise?
Something doesn’t add up, and the NFL’s vague, polished “no comment” isn’t convincing anyone.
This Goes Beyond One Call
For years, the Lions have found themselves victims of questionable officiating. From the notorious Calvin Johnson “process of the catch” ruling to the rescinded pass interference in 2019, Detroit fans have learned to brace for the worst when referees intervene.
Once again, a judgment call nullified a key touchdown in a primetime matchup against the reigning champs—and the league can’t even give a straight answer.
Fans deserve clarity. Campbell deserves honesty. And the Lions deserve accountability from a league that preaches integrity yet hides behind “no further comment.”
Dan Campbell Refuses to Back Down
words on 97.1 The Ticket earlier this week were direct: he’s not inventing anything.
“I was told that’s where the call came from,” he stated firmly.
He gains nothing by lying about that. The NFL, on the other hand, has every motive to suppress it—because if Campbell’s correct, it means the league broke its own rules by allowing outside interference to influence a non-reviewable call.
That’s not just poor officiating. That’s compromising the integrity of the game.
The NFL can hand out endless “no comments,” but the optics speak for themselves: Detroit was robbed—again.
Dan Campbell spoke the truth. The refs spun a narrative. And the league is hiding behind silence.
If the NFL truly values fairness, now’s the time to prove it. Until then, Lions fans will keep asking the same thing:
Who’s really telling the truth—Dan Campbell or the NFL? We all know the real answer.
