Terry McAulay calls out SEC, Big 12 for 'utter contempt' of targeting rule
Former NFL referee and current rules analyst for NBC Terry McAulay has his frustrations about how the targeting rule is officiated. In fact, he went so far as to publicly call out the SEC and the Big 12 for what he sees as utter contempt for the targeting rule.
This frustration was born from a pair of calls that were made, or rather not made, during Friday night of the final week of the regular season. He started with the highly publicized play between Georgia and Georgia Tech that ended with quarterback Haynes King fumbling on a play where he appeared to be hit with the crown of the helmet by Dan Jackson.
“The failure to review and create a targeting foul here doesn’t just ignore the rule, I’d go so far as to say SEC replay is showing utter contempt for the targeting rule,” Terry McAulay said. “This has been happening all season around the country. It’s clear the rules have to change. A model that penalizes without disqualification is long overdue.”
The targeting rule is in place to protect players from head and neck injuries. That means protecting players from hits to the head and neck area, protecting defenseless players, and penalizing players who lead with the crown of their helmet. To disincentive players from making the types of hits that are now illegal, targeting comes with an ejection. Notably, Terry McAulay is among the people critical of the ejection element of the penalty.
“And here we have the Big 12 showing utter contempt for the targeting rule,” McAulay wrote.
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Both plays that Terry McAulay pointed out on social media were reviewed. In the case of the Big 12 example between UCF and Utah, targeting was called on the field but overturned. The hit in the Georgia-Georgia Tech game was reviewed for the turnover, though nobody reviewing the play chose to review it for targeting at all. No penalty was called on the field.
The fumble by King gave Georgia a short field to tie the game late, forcing overtime where the Bulldogs eventually won in eight overtimes.
Terry McAulay is far from the first person to be critical of the targeting rule and how it’s officiated. There are concerns about consistency in how it’s called, how the rule is defined, and the fact it comes with an ejection. However, given that he’s a referee who worked three Super Bowls and was the Big East and AAC coordinator of officials at one point, it adds to the argument for a change.