The NFL routinely communicates with teams regarding concerns arising from calls made and not made in the most recent games. The league, with some express exceptions, does not want the teams talking publicly about the contents of the conversations.
On Friday, the NFL sent a memo reminding all teams that such communications are “confidential,” and not for external disclosure.
The memo is an obvious response to Rams coach Sean McVay’s decision to spill the beans on his discussions with the league regarding the controversial defensive pass interference call at the end of Sunday night’s game against the Broncos. While it’s unknown whether McVay was fined for the infraction, the memo makes clear that the league doesn’t want its coaches flipping the lid on Pandora’s box.
As noted yesterday, what will the league do if it admits that such an important mistake (we still don’t think it was a mistake) changed the outcome of a game? Refund all wagers on the Rams? Los Angeles closed as a 0.5-point favorite. All moneyline and spread wagers on the Rams that lost were, based on that admission, winners.
It’s just a matter of time before someone files a nationwide class action arising from losses that should have been wins due to avoidable officiating errors. The NFL’s too-cozy relationship with gambling makes it inevitable.
Having one of the coaches hold up the smoking gun and wave it around for all to see makes it easy.