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The likely discussion stems from an incident in
Week 15, when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott tried to
communicate that the team wanted to defer to the second half and
kick off to the Los Angeles Rams.
Under the current rules, a team captain must clearly use the
term "defer," Schefter said.
According to the Fox broadcast, the Cowboys were set to kick off
to start both halves after quarterback Prescott was not clear
about his team's choice, and referee Walt Anderson ruled Dallas
chose to kick off rather than defer its choice to the second
half.
When the Cowboys won the toss, Prescott was asked by Anderson
what the team wanted to do. Video showed that Prescott initially
said "defense" twice, then said they wanted to "kick" the ball
twice, pointing in the direction he wanted to kick. Anderson
then asked Prescott, "You want to kick?"
Prescott then said, "We defer to the second half, yes." Anderson
then said, "OK, you're going to kick."
Shortly after the Cowboys kicked off, the Fox broadcast
announced that Anderson heard Prescott say the Cowboys wanted to
kick rather than defer their choice to the second half. That
would mean the Rams would have the option to receive second-half
kickoff, as well.
However, league officials in New York and Anderson conferred
during halftime and confirmed that Prescott used the word
"defer," according to the Fox broadcast. That proved enough to
correct the issue, as the Rams kicked off to the Cowboys to
start the third quarter.
--Field Level Media
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