The Call with Tom Higgins

Question

Late in the Montreal at Saskatchewan game, the officials ruled a Touchdown for Saskatchewan on a play where it looked like both Matt Dominguez and a Montreal defender caught the ball at the same time. Why is that a TD?

Answer

This situation is referred to as a simultaneous catch and is covered in the Passing Rule. Rule 6 Section 4 Forward Pass Article 5 (c) Completed Pass states that a pass is completed when caught simultaneously by players of both teams who maintain possession until the play is terminated,
and that the ball shall be awarded to the offence.

In this case the play would be terminated when both players have possession and touch the ground, even though the Montreal defender ended up wrestling the ball away from the Saskatchewan receiver.

Tom Higgins is the CFL’s Director of Officiating. Prior to joining the Canadian Football League office, Higgins spent more than 25 years as a player, coach and personnel director.


After reading this is everyone satisfied with the TD or do you still think the call was wrong.

Good for me. But Tom should put out an article on the Cates "fumble" - that, to me, was less cut and dried of the two plays.

I'm an Als' fan and I always thought the call on Richardson's TD was the correct call, for much the same reason as Mr Higgins has explained.

Nothing about the "interception" that should have been pass interference either. I guess he has to pick his spots for when the refs may have gotten the call correct.

The explanation is how I saw it. I thought that rule has always been like that.

Hmmm... interesting he avoided the other controversial call on the Wes cates FUMBLE called an incomplete pass. LOL!

When the question is on an interpretation of the rule as this case was, they will clarify. When the call in question is one of a perception of human error, as the Cates fumble and the Banks interception were, there is nothing to interpret. The mistakes made(IMHO) were made on the call not on the interpretation.