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The NFL believes that Jordan Whitehead should have been punished for hitting fourth quarter Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns, said Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.
Whitehead was originally named for the hit, but the officiating crew of Shawn Hochuli took over the flag.
Facing a second and 26th goal, while there was only a little over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Mayfield took off amidst a defense in the middle of the Buccaneers defense. As Mayfield began sliding at the end of the 35-yard gain, Whitehead came in and contacted Mayfield with a helmet hit.
After discussing the game, Hochuli announced that there was no flag on the game because "the quarterback was still a runner and could therefore be hit in the head. He had not started slipping yet.
According to the report, Whitehead could have been identified for one of two offenses: unnecessary brutality for a hit at the head of a slippery player or unsportsmanlike conduct for using his helmet to hit a player.
If the flag had been imposed, the Browns would have had a first and 10 points on the line of 26 Buccaneers buccaneers instead of the 41-yard line. Cleveland would fail to convert a fourth and a goal and the 1 yard line of Tampa Bay.
A fine would be imposed on Whitehead if the league felt the game should have been a penalty.
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