Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got away with shoving an official during Monday night’s game.
In the third quarter, Watson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for grabbing the facemask of Pittsburgh’s Kwon Alexander and holding onto it even after both players were out of bounds on the Steelers’ sideline. After the play, Watson lingered near the sideline and exchanged words with the Steelers.
At that point umpire Barry Anderson stepped in front of Watson and tried to direct him back to the field, and Watson shoved Anderson to the side to continue jawing with Steelers players.
Watson was not flagged for the shove, even though the NFL rulebook says under the “Prohibited acts” section that “Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official” and that “The player shall be disqualified from the game.”
The officials would have been well within their authority to eject Watson for the action, and the fact that he wasn’t even assessed a penalty seems like a blown call. The league office may hand down its own discipline.
