Fox News Flash top headlines for Jan. 16
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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas took a jab at an NFL referee after learning the official will be heading the officiating crew at Super Bowl LIV in Miami next month.
The league announced that Bill Vinovich will be the lead official with umpire Barry Anderson, field judge Michael Banks, down judge Kent Payne, side judge Boris Cheek, line judge Carl Johnson, back judge Greg Steed and replay official Mike Chase rounding out the crew.
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Vinovich was head of the officiating crew in last season’s NFC Championship that missed a clear defensive pass interference call on Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman. It was a game-altering blown call, and the Rams eventually defeated the Saints to make Super Bowl LIII.
Thomas tweeted Wednesday that Vinovich didn’t “even own any flags.”
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Thomas appears to be the most prominent Saints player who is still frustrated over the blown non-call.
However, the play led to an NFL rule change in which coaches are now allowed to challenge whether there was pass interference on a certain play. The rule was implemented prior to the start of the 2019 season.
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There were 74 pass-interference reviews during the season and 24 of the on-field calls were reversed, according to The Washington Post. There were 21 reversals of plays where pass interference was not called and three reversals in the 27 reviews in which pass interference was called. There were 13 coaches’ challenges on plays in which defensive pass interferences were called by officials. No coach won the challenge.
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