NFL to consider making pass interference a reviewable play: sources

Two people with direct knowledge of the NFL's plans tell The Associated Press that the league's competition committee will consider expanding replay reviews to include certain penalties, including pass interference.

The people, who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not publicly announced such plans, stressed that the committee looks into the parameters of replay yearly. It has considered inclusion of what are considered judgment calls by officials in the past.

Officiating once more became a hot topic during Sunday's NFC championship game. A missed call by referee Bill Vinovich's crew of a blatant pass interference penalty and helmet-to-helmet hit by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman on Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis likely cost New Orleans a spot in the Super Bowl.

Saints coach Sean Payton said Al Riveron, the NFL's senior vice-president of officiating, told him afterward that a flag should have been thrown.

In the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, two Saints season ticket holders have asked a judge to reverse the result of the NFC championship game or order a do-over.

Tuesday's state court filing says NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should implement a league rule governing "extraordinarily unfair acts." Remedies include reversal of a game's result or the rescheduling of a game in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred.