Former NFL star JJ Watt has a solution in order for the league to improve officiating when it comes to holding calls.
Holding calls were not often called in the NFL in the past season, and over the last few years for that matter. In fact, it took three months for Micah Parsons to receive a holding call in his favor this 2023, which the Dallas Cowboys sarcastically celebrated.
During Super Bowl 58, it continued to be a trend, with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan heard telling the referees that the Kansas City Chiefs keep on committing the violation without being penalized.
JJ Watt Reveals Interesting Suggestion for NFL Holding Calls
In order to resolve the issue, Watt proposed for the NFL to reduce the penalty for a holding call. The ex-Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans star pointed out that the reason referees aren’t calling a holding call frequently is because they understand how severe and “crippling to the offense” a 10-yard penalty is.
With that said, if the penalty is reduced, Watt believes it will lead to the holding violation being fairly called.
“I think the refs understand that a 10-yard penalty is a massive penalty in the NFL,” Watt said during his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, via NBC Sports.
“So I think if you made [it] a 5-yard penalty, I think it’s going to be called much more fairly and much more realistically. Because it’s not as crippling to the offense.”
Watt certainly makes a good point here. Considering how prevalent holding violations are, the referees probably wouldn’t call it unless it’s too severe or obvious. Imagine if the referees frequently call it. The penalties would be massive if the 10-yard punishment continues.
Kyle Shanahan’s Complaint on NFL Holding Calls
As mentioned, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers brought the issue to light once again, leading to JJ Watt’s suggestion.
During Super Bowl 58, a mic’d up Shanahan was heard telling the referees to watch out for the holding violations of the Kansas City Chiefs since the head coach noticed they were doing it often.
“Hey, I saw the hold, but that’s what they do every time. They hold, they tug our guy ’til Pat leaves and then they let go. That’s what our guy did, make sure they call it both ways,” Shanahan said during the game, per Coach Yac.
Unfortunately for Shanahan, his message fell on deaf ears as the Chiefs were not called for a holding violation.
But as Watt argued, because of how heavy the penalty is and considering the gravity of the game, it would have been difficult for the referees to make such calls.
Hopefully, Roger Goodell considers Watt’s suggestion.
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