ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 13, 1997 TAG: 9703130071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: PALM DESERT, CALIF.
SOURCE: N.Y. TIMES NEWS SERVICE
Disagreement over timeouts leave the NFL three votes shy of approval to bring back instant replay.
NFL owners on Wednesday rejected a proposal to bring back instant-replay review of officials' calls.
Ten of the league's 30 teams voted against the new effort, with seven needed to defeat the proposal. Twenty owners voted for it.
Under the plan, teams would have been charged with a timeout whenever they requested officials review a call, regardless if the challenge was successful. Some teams were concerned they wouldn't have a timeout for a challenge late in the game that could change the outcome of the contest.
``The most important thing was to keep the three timeouts in each half,'' said Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, one of the leading proponents of instant replay. ``But I would be certainly willing [to vote for it] because I believe instant replay can be done well.''
The league had instant-replay review from 1986-1991. It dropped the replay amid criticism by owners and coaches over delays in reviewing plays.
Under the new plan, officials would have had a television monitor on the field for officials to review plays, rather than relying on an official in a booth above the field.
The new plan would have given coaches two challenges a game, which was a major sticking point with many teams.
The plan would have allowed teams to contest possession, out-of-bounds and scoring plays, as under the plan that was in effect from 1986-1991.
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB