First Call: Unpopular choice to officiate Steelers-Ravens; fine for David Tepper's drink toss
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some unfortunate details about the officiating crew for Saturday’s Steelers-Ravens game. One former Pittsburgh Steeler is looking for work, while another one is on a new roster. The Penguins are helping out Cameron Heyward. Marc-Andre Fleury is still working to catch Patrick Roy.
And a former Steelers minority owner gets a slap on the wrist from the NFL for his conduct Sunday.
This will go over big
Steelers fans will hate this piece of news.
Ravens fans may not be wild about it, either.
The referee for the Week 18 game between the AFC North rivals will be Brad Allen. That’s according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s Allen and his crew who seemed to botch the end of the Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys game Saturday night. Allen apparently failed to recognize that Lions offensive lineman Taylor Decker reported as eligible on a two-point conversion pass that would’ve given the Lions the lead in the final 30 seconds.
Here’s audio from @DallasCowboys radio broadcast on @1053thefan:
Referee Brad Allen announces to the entire stadium & tells Dallas defense prior to the Lions 2-point try that #70 Dan Skipper reported as eligible, no mention of #68 Taylor Decker. pic.twitter.com/4fodu6puLf— Bill Jones (@CBS11BillJones) December 31, 2023
As a result of that moment and others from the game, Schefter says Allen and his crew are expected to be
Yet Schefter says they are going to be working a significant, stand-alone game Saturday between Baltimore and Pittsburgh that has playoff implications for multiple AFC teams.
That seems … unwise.
Mike Tomlin may want to think twice before sending Chuks Okorafor in as an eligible player on Saturday. Come to think of it, he may want to think twice about that anyway. But especially now.
Buggin’ out
Former Steeler Isaiah Buggs is looking for a new team. The defensive lineman was waived by the playoff-bound Lions on Tuesday.
Buggs posted a farewell to the Motor City on social media.
Thank You Detroit For Everything The Past Year Has Been Amazing From Meeting New People Playing With Great Teammates But The Time Has Come For Me To Say Goodbye. Detroit 96 Out. ❤️
— Isaiah D. Buggs (@BigPooh_91) January 2, 2024
Buggs was a 2019 sixth-round pick by the Steelers out of Alabama. They released him midway through the 2021 season. Buggs went to the Lions in 2022 and played there through this week.
The 27-year-old from Louisiana played in 29 games with the Steelers, totaling 31 tackles. He had 58 in Detroit over 27 games, including 16 starts.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have signed former Steelers kicker Matthew Wright.
Helping Heyward
The Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to help Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward win the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The franchise put Heyward on the big screen prior to Tuesday’s home game against the Washington Capitals to fire up the crowd before the puck drop. They also tweeted out the video and encouraged fans to repost it in an effort to get Heyward the NFL recognition and a $35,000 donation to a charity of his choice.
It's a HOCKEY NIGHT in PITTSBURGH! ????
Repost to help Cam Heyward win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Challenge and $35,000 to his charity of choice! #WPMOYChallenge | @CamHeyward pic.twitter.com/bovCMEFu9m
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 3, 2024
Cam’s Kindness Week is a week of giving back to the community that takes place during the season when Heyward reaches out to different factions of the community on a daily basis.
Heyward has been nominated by the Steelers for the Man of the Year award six times in the past. The award recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service, as well as his playing achievement.
On pause
Marc-Andre Fleury’s quest to tie Patrick Roy for second place among NHL goalies on the all-time wins list is going to have to wait for another game.
Fleury and his Minnesota Wild hosted the Calgary Flames and lost 3-1 on Tuesday night. Jonathan Huberdeau, Blake Coleman and Andrew Mangiapane were the goal scorers.
Brb, watching on repeat ???? pic.twitter.com/aWDe0PMtRL
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 3, 2024
Fleury needs one more win to tie Roy at 551 victories all-time. Martin Brodeur has the record at 691.
Fleury stopped 30 of 32 shots along the way. He has now dropped his past two decisions and is 6-7-2 on the year. Of Fleury’s 550 regular-season wins, 375 of those were in Pittsburgh.
Tepper tantrum
Former Steelers minority owner David Tepper is in hot water with the NFL after having a hissy fit on Sunday.
The primary owner of the Carolina Panthers franchise, the Pittsburgh native and Carnegie Mellon grad was caught on video throwing a drink at a fan in Jacksonville on Sunday during a 26-0 loss for his team.
The NFL has fined Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for tossing a drink into the crowd during Sunday's game in Jacksonville.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 2, 2024
Via the Associated Press, the NFL fined Tepper $300,000 for his actions. The league called Tepper’s conduct “unacceptable” in a statement released Tuesday.
“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” the statement said.
Tepper’s reaction came after rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw an interception with less than three minutes to play in the loss. Carolina is now an NFL-worst 2-14.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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