Image via Scott Utterback/Courier Journal
Week 3 certainly made headlines for the UFL, with one moment setting the tone for the weekend.
The end of the Friday night showdown between the Orlando Storm and the Louisville Kings had everyone talking, including UFL co-owner Mike Repole. During overtime, the Kings were called for two defensive penalties in the shootout, the second coming in sudden death. Because that was the second one called on the defense, UFL Head of Officiating Dean Blandino ruled that, per the rules, the Storm would be awarded two points, and the game was over, with Orlando beating Louisville 29-27.
This sparked a flurry of outrage among the UFL fanbase, with many unhappy that the officials stepped in and awarded the final points. Some fans thought it was within the rules, and the officials were right.
Let’s break down what is right and wrong about the overtime penalty rule
Looking at the two penalties, fans might argue that the first pass interference call in overtime on the Kings was not catchable and shouldn’t have been called, but it was close enough that it could have been okay. The second one is clearly a holding, so to be clear, the calls themselves are not the problem, as the officials got them right.
Fans are upset because the officials stepped in and awarded the points themselves. But the letter of the law, yes, technically Blandino was right about the rule. It doesn’t make it right from the viewer’s perspective.
No matter how officials or Blandino feel about it, fans don’t want officials to control who wins and loses a game. Yes, players can control it by not taking penalties on themselves, but to straight-up say, after just two penalties, that overtime has hit its penalty limit and we are just going to end it is wrong. The Washington Commanders were called for four straight penalties against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, and no points were awarded.
Former NFL director of operations Sam Schwartzstein was the original person who made the rule for the XFL back in 2020. Schwartzstein has publicly stated that there are two main reasons for this rule.
The first being that the league did not want to prolong a game in overtime so that they could hit as close to the three-hour limit they have on TV as possible. Another part of this is that player safety was top of mind, and they don’t want to risk a lawsuit from players for playing too long on the field.
One problem with this is that fans watching the game won’t mind watching more football, even if it goes over. Second, the UFL has the authority to change things up if they are so concerned about player safety.
To help eliminate this overtime penalty rule while helping the players, it's very simple: keep a running clock through all four quarters and keep more players active. Having a running clock in all four quarters except for the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters and a change of possession would reduce the length of the game by 15 to 30 minutes. The league allows only 43 active players on gameday, so increasing that number would help us rotate more players in, allowing them to take fewer snaps.
This isn’t a black-and-white situation. Fans don’t want referees to control the game. Make it simple, get rid of it, and fix what happens in the four quarters before overtime to create a win-win for everyone.