The NFL has clarified the rule that cost the Cowboys 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct for having 12 men in the huddle during their playoff loss to the Packers. The league’s senior vice president of officiating said Thursday that the referee now will issue a warning for a first offense.
“We did discuss it,” Dean Blandino said on a competition committee conference call. “Obviously that’s a penalty you don’t see very frequently. We looked at some of the language in the book, and we’re going to give our officials more latitude to warn the team if they feel it is a potential issue and then penalize after a warning.