The NFL acknowledged that officials wrongly penalized Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey for a hands-to-the-face foul in Tampa Bay’s Week 5 game against Dallas. Cowboys guard Tyler Booker committed the infraction, and the league said officials could have corrected the player identification before enforcing the penalty—but didn’t.

Yes, But

The league’s admission confirms the error, but it does not reverse the penalty or restore the yardage Tampa Bay lost. The episode also raises questions about why officials did not use the correction process the league says was available.

Bottom Line

Officials got the call wrong, and the NFL says the mistake could have been caught before it hurt the Buccaneers.