The Cowboys were moving the ball in Packers territory in the first half of last Sunday afternoon’s game when their drive stalled thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Unlike other calls of that nature, there was no contact with an official or punch thrown that led to the call. The penalty was on wide receiver Brice Butler, who officials said entered the huddle and then returned to the sideline without participating in a play. The league’s rules bar that as an attempt to sow confusion for the defense about which players are in the game.
Former Raiders and Browns exec and Bill Belichick assistant Michael Lombardi wrote on Twitter that he’s spoken to people from other teams who called the league for clarification about the call and were told that the call shouldn’t have been made because “Dallas was not being deceptive.” The league says otherwise.
League spokesman Michael Signora said the call was the proper one, while noting that the rule has been on the books since 1955. Senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino added that he has not spoken to any teams about the call and that it was last made in a 2014 game between the Redskins and the Cowboys, which contradicts Cowboys coach Jason Garrett’s contention that he’d never seen it called before.